Gisele Bündchen was called out Monday for defending a fellow model for “expressing her feelings” about COVID-19, but who also fomented anti-vaccine sentiment by posting a lengthy statement on Instagram about why she wouldn’t be getting the shot.
The Instagram statement came from Dutch model Doutzen Kroes, who also wrote on Friday that she believes it’s wrong for people to be excluded from work, school or social activities because they don’t want to be immunized.
“I will not be forced to take the shot,” Kroes wrote. “I will not be forced to prove my health to participate in society. I will not accept exclusion of people based on their medical status.
Bundchen popped onto Kroes’ Instagram the next day, ostensibly because she said it was wrong that Kroes had became a target of hate online.
“I know Doutzen and she is a kind and loving person,” wrote the Brazilian supermodel, who is married to NFL quarterback Tom Brady. “I can’t believe the hate being directed at her because she expressed her feelings.”
Was Kroes really being inundated with “hate?” Certainly, some people criticized Kroes, saying she was “irresponsible” to not get the vaccine and “even more irresponsible to post this online with so many followers.”
With her post, Kroes also put herself forward as the latest famous person to refuse to get the vaccine or to express skepticism about its safety or efficacy. Criticism was inevitable as she joined the controversial company of Olivia Newton-John, Elon Musk, Rob Schneider and most recently Nicki Minaj. Last week, the rapper ignited international furor and countless jokes and memes after making the bizarre claim that a friend of her cousin in Trinidad had suffered swollen testicles and impotence after getting the vaccine.
Kroes, an aspiring actress who appeared in “Wonder Woman,” explained in her post that she felt compelled to return to social media after a long break to speak out on “the injustice that is happening right in front of us.” She said it was time to “speak my truth.”
“Freedom of speech is a right worth fighting for but we can only solve this united in peace and love!” Kroes continued before urging her 6.8 million followers to “Pass on the torch of hope and love and speak your truth.”
As Kroes understandably faced backlash, her Instagram also was filled with many more messages from people expressing their love and admiration for her. One of those people was Bundchen, who popped in to decry “all the judgement” and “lack of empathy” and to lecture people on how “hate is not the answer.”
Bundchen might have been mostly concerned about the incivility in some of the criticism of Kroes, but her message was open-ended enough that it was open to different interpretations, including questions over whether Bundchen herself harbors skepticism or opposes mandates being enacted in some parts of the country.
For her message, Bundchen also faced backlash for appearing to defend her friend’s “anti-vax stupidity.” One person argued that the criticism of her friend is not “hate.” The person said: “It is indignation for your friend being so irresponsible to post this type of comments that influence people not to vaccinate and die unnecessarily. She is beyond irresponsible, it is borderline criminal behavior.”
“You should also think of the consequences of your comments when condoning such thing,” the person wrote, addressing Bundchen. “People are dying. This is not a party on the catwalk.”
Someone else told Bundchen that her “kind and loving” friend could also be “uninformed” about “the facts,” which are that hospitals are filled almost exclusively unvaccinated people, that societies are inarguably safer and healthier because of vaccines, and that “societal protection requires the majority of people to buy in and participate for it to be effective (which is why these policies and guidelines are set).”
In her support of Kroes, Bundchen was joined by famous Trump-supporting conservative pundit Candace Owens, who told Kroes that she is “on the right side of history.”
Indeed, Kroes’ statement seem to galvanize others to speak out, including author and podcaster Jessica Harlow who said: “Bless you for speaking up! Thank you for using your voice and platform for good.”
It’s not immediately known if Bundchen herself has gotten the vaccine, but her husband has. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback, 44, was vaccinated under the NFL’s strict COVID-19 safety regulations. Indeed, the Bucs became the second NFL team — the Atlanta Falcons were first — to be fully vaccinated before the season kicked off earlier this month.
Brady noted that the NFL’s testing protocols and safety regulations are different for the 2021 season. Before being vaccinated, Brady tested positive in February for the coronavirus shortly after the team’s raucous boat parade celebrating its Super Bowl LV victory.
