"Black Panther" Star Under Fire for Sharing Controversial COVID Video

Actor Letitia Wright became known worldwide when she starred as T'Challa's tech savvy little sister in Black Panther. Now, she's making headlines for something completely different. On Thursday, Dec. 3, Wright posted a YouTube video about the COVID-19 vaccine on Twitter, captioning it only with the prayer hands emoji. Due to the controversial opinions expressed in the video she shared, Wright received swift backlash from fellow Twitter users for sharing content that could encourage people against getting a COVID-19 vaccine, and that contained other problematic and false statements. The 27-year-old actor responded to many of the tweets directed at her, before removing the video and explaining her reason for posting it in another tweet. Now, another Marvel star is also questioning Wright's decision to share the video. Read on to find out what went down, and for more on the COVID-19 vaccine, check out The Vaccine Will Only Keep You Safe From COVID for This Long, Fauci Says.

As reported by Variety, on Thursday, Wright posted an hourlong video from a YouTube channel called On the Table that features Tomi Arayomi. In the video, titled "Covid-19 Vaccine, Should We Take It?" Arayomi questions the vaccine, but toward the beginning of the video, says, "I don't understand vaccines medically, but I've always been a little bit of a skeptic of them." Arayomi also blames the Chinese government for COVID-19 and makes transphobic comments in the video.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb

Twitter users quickly responded to Wright, explaining that sharing a non-expert's rant about the vaccine can be harmful. The Marvel actor then tweeted, "If you don't conform to popular opinions. but ask questions and think for yourself….you get cancelled," along with a crying-laughing emoji, which garnered even more responses. 

"You're not asking any questions, rather you're using your huge platform to spread misinformation & then getting upset at people pushing back on that," said one Twitter user.

Another said, "It's not really an 'opinion' when it's a scientific fact where people's lives are on the line…."

Someone else wrote, "It's not about cancelling. It's about the fact that you are harming other people by not getting vaccinated."

Wright responded to many tweets, explaining that she is just trying to ask questions about what is in the vaccine. "Not my intention to make anyone upset," she said in one tweet. "Nor am I saying don't take it. I'm just concerned about what's in it that's all. Isn't that fair to question or ask?" In another tweet she wrote in regards to the video, "If you watched it fully he's just asking what's in it and if it's right for our bodies."

Wright also tweeted about seeing "valid Doctors get their articles and videos taken down," though Arayomi is not a medical professional.

On Friday, Wright tweeted, "My intention was not to hurt anyone, my ONLY intention of posting the video was it raised my concerns with what the vaccine contains and what we are putting in our bodies. Nothing else."

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Don Cheadle, who has played War Machine in several Marvel movies, weighed in on the situation on Twitter. After being asked about it by fans, Cheadle said that if Wright posted something concerning, he would talk to her outside of Twitter.

"Jesus… just scrolled through. hot garbage," he posted later after watching the video. "Every time i stopped and listened, he and everything he said sounded crazy and f***** up. i would never defend anybody posting this. but i still won't throw her away over it. the rest i'll take off twitter. had no idea."

And for more on the vaccine, check out The CDC Just Voted That These People Should Get the COVID Vaccine First.