Country music superstar Carrie Underwood is the latest to face backlash on social media after liking a tweet in which a conservative podcaster spoke against several school mask mandates. The Tweet was shared by conservative commentator Matt Walsh and contained video footage of a speech at a Nashville school board meeting where he spoke against the "cruel and indefensible mask mandate for children."
He referred to the mask mandate as "child abuse" during his speech, comparing it to rabid dogs wearing muzzles. He then went on to argue that more children died from the flu in the 2018-2019 school year than have died through the duration of the coronavirus pandemic, saying that no one imposed a mask mandate for the flu.
— Keith Edwards (@keithedwards) August 17, 2021
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The American Idol winner's backlash came to light after people noticed she had "liked" the video. Some took Underwood's "like" as an indication that the singer is against the COVID-19 vaccine, though Underwood has never stated that she opposes the vaccine.
Several angry fans were taken aback by Underwood's actions, with one Twitter user writing "Seeing people react to Carrie Underwood being an anti-vaxxer makes me glad legend Dolly Parton helped bankroll one and two-time Rock And Roll Hall of Famer Stevie Nicks has been pushing for masks, vaccines, and social distancing all along." Another user stated, "Carrie Underwood is an anti-masker. She's canceled in my book. Who else?"
Keith Edwards, a former employee of Sen. Jon Ossoff and Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's presidential campaign took a screenshot of Underwood's like saying, "not this." Walsh, the man speaking in the video himself reacted to the backlash by tweeting several sarcastic tweets. He wrote, "Carrie Underwood liked my video and now the mob is coming for her. She should know better than to like something that they don't like. This is an unforgivable sin."
The country star herself has not publicly responded to any of the comments above. The CDC advises everyone older than 2 years old to wear a face mask indoors if one hasn't gotten a COVID-19 vaccine or in a crowded space with others who aren't fully vaccinated. As school is starting, several administrations across the US have implemented or are considering implementing mandates due to the rising Delta variant cases.
