Fans Rip Zachary Levi To Shreds For Anti-Vax Rhetoric
By Afouda Bamidele on January 31, 2023 at 5:00 PM EST
Zachary Levi has come under fire for sharing his views on vaccines.
Since the pandemic, good versus evil conversations about getting vaccinated have become increasingly frequent, especially on social media. Levi joined the list of celebs who have shared their thoughts on vaccinations when he agreed with a tweet claiming that Pfizer is dangerous to the world. Unfortunately, it did not end too well for the actor as critics with opposing responses flooded his mentions.
Twitter Users Express 'Disappointment' In Zachary Levi For His Alleged Anti-Vax Stance
Although it has been just a few days after DC released the second full trailer for "Shazam! Fury of the Gods," Levi is gaining attention for something unrelated to the film and his craft. The actor faced backlash after he quoted a question from Moorhouse Group CEO Lyndon Wood.
The CEO had asked his followers, "Do you agree or not, that Pfizer is a real danger to the world?" prompting the 42-year-old to reply, "Hardcore agree. 😑" Although neither the "Chuck" star nor the entrepreneur directly referred to Pfizer's production of a COVID-19 vaccine, the brief comment stirred an intense reaction from left-wing Twitter accounts.
"Here I was, actually kind of excited for your movie. But nah. I'm not supporting you now," producer Rasmus Rasmussen told the "Big Momma's House 2" star. A second critic tweeted, "Okay, one less movie ticket to spend money on. Stupid."
A third person stated, "I really really want to give you the benefit of the doubt here, given that you cite in another tweet a fraud settlement that is wholly unrelated to vaccines, but even if you don't mean vaccines (and I deeply hope you don't), you're giving aid to those who do. Please delete."
A fourth person blocked Levi for "disappointing nonsense," while a fifth asked, "Bro, how u gonna kill ur movie before it even starts smh." "Imagine coming to the defense of one of the biggest and most malevolent companies in the world, check your mindset, dude," another Twitter user added.
A seventh Twitter user joked, "James Gunn about to reset the whole DC universe reading this tweet." Meanwhile, an eighth critic stated that even though "everyone's entitled to their own opinions," they wanted to know why the "American Underdog" actor thought:
"it was a good idea to post this in the run-up to Shazam 2??? Did Gunn tell you that your time at DC was over, so you're gonna try and tank the movie???"
In an attempt to save face several hours later, Levi followed up, "Just one example of what I'm referring to," along with a link to a U.S. Justice Department statement announcing the "largest health care fraud settlement in its history."
Unfortunately, that play failed as even more people pointed out that the announcement was made in 2009, during the pharmaceutical giant's criminal and civil liability trial.
At the time, Pfizer was accused of fraudulently promoting "certain pharmaceutical products." The biotechnology corporation agreed to pay $2.3bn, thus explaining the Department of Justice's announcement tagline.
The Self-Help Author Prioritizes Mental Health After His Experience With Anxiety
The Blast reported last June that Levi was advocating for his fans to prioritize their mental health after he experienced his own troubles. The "I See the Light" performer addressed the issue during an appearance on Elizabeth Vargas' "Heart of the Matter" podcast, where he admitted, "I've struggled with this stuff most of my life."
"I didn't realize that I was struggling with these things until I was 37, about five years ago, and I had a complete mental breakdown," Levi disclosed before explaining that his biological mother suffered from a borderline personality disorder.
His "perfectionist" father did not help matters, often making him feel like he was no good at completing even the smallest tasks. When relocating to Austin, Texas, to start Wyldwood Studios in 2020 did not help his anxiety, Levi sought medical help. Recounting his rock bottom moment, the Broadway star said:
"I drove around probably for 10 minutes not knowing which place to eat because I didn't know which place was the right place to eat as opposed to just saying, 'Zach, just go eat some food.'"
The actor shared the details of the event and his subsequent entry into the psych ward in his memoir, "Radical Love: Learning to Accept Yourself and Others."