Jennifer Aniston is not usually a celebrity that gets herself wrapped up in social media controversy—she didn't even have an Instagram account until last year. However, as many stars on social media know, it's hard to bypass backlash altogether. This week, the beloved actor caused quite a stir online after posting an Instagram story of a COVID-related Christmas ornament. Keep reading for more on Aniston's contentious post, and for more celebrity controversy, Ireland Baldwin Just Defended Her Stepmom Amid Heritage Controversy.
Aniston shared a photo of a COVID-themed Christmas ornament on her Instagram story.
Instagram/jenniferanistonOn her Dec. 27 Instagram story, Aniston shared a photo of a wooden Christmas ornament engraved with the message, "Our first pandemic 2020." And though stories disappear after 24 hours, the actor's post has been screenshotted and reposted numerous times online.
The Friends actor did not share if the ornament was hers, but her social media followers seem to think it was. According to Business Insider, the ornament posted was a $5 custom-made design sold by an Etsy shop called Rustic Raleigh, per shop owner Brittany Sutton. However, Sutton refused to reveal whether or not Aniston was the actual buyer. And for celebrities who have gotten in more serious trouble, Lori Loughlin Was Released From Prison But Her Sentence Still Isn't Over.
Some immediately called out Aniston for making light of the pandemic.
ShutterstockMany people online objected to Aniston's COVID Christmas ornament, calling it inappropriate and saying that the celeb was clearly "out of touch with reality." One user reposted Aniston's story on Twitter, saying "I've had enough of rich people," which has been shared close to 68,000 times and liked nearly 470,000 times. And for more celebrity COVID controversies, Tom Cruise Is Under Fire For Potentially Breaking a CDC Guideline Himself.
But others have been quick to come to Aniston's defense.
© Jennifer Aniston / InstagramNot everyone is upset at Aniston's ornament, however. Some fans have come to the celeb's defense, calling the ornament a simple joke. One Twitter user said that "everybody copes differently" and that Aniston was simply coping with the pandemic through humor.
Others have been quick to note that the actor has taken the pandemic seriously, pointing out all that she's done previously to raise awareness during this time. In June, Aniston highlighted the importance of wearing masks with an Instagram post of her wearing one and she recently made an Instagram story highlighting small businesses people could support across the country. And for more celebrity content delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.
This is a rare controversy for Aniston since she joined social media.
ShutterstockAniston seemingly "broke the internet" in Oct. 2019 when she finally joined Instagram. In fact, so many fans were excited for the actor's arrival that she set a Guinness World Record for the fastest Instagram account to reach 1 million followers in just a little more than five hours.
Since then, Aniston has largely avoided any controversy until now. The actor had a slight brush with it early this year in October, when she posted a photo of her mailing in her presidential election ballot, ending the post by saying that it was "not funny" to vote for Kanye West. But while West wasn't too keen on Aniston's post, this was barely a blip on the controversy radar. And for more on this A-lister, find out The Nickname Jennifer Aniston's Closest Friends Call Her.
