Thomas Rhett’s wife Lauren Akins posted photos from their trip to Cabo on Tuesday, and followers were not impressed. Akins shared seven pictures of herself and Rhett on vacation with friends, with no coronavirus safety precautions in evidence. Many commenters were dismayed by the sight.
“Thanks to a very kind friend, we got to go to Cabo, meet my new bestie (the goofiest sea lion named Poncho), eat fresh ahi tuna that was just caught and watch beautiful sunsets with sweet friends,” Akins wrote alongside the post. It included photos of the couple and their friends arm-in-arm with no face masks on, scenic shots of them crowded onto boats together other idyllic moments from the trip. While many commenters remarked on how beautiful the pictures were, others were put off by this flouting of COVID-19 safety measures. Some also said that it is not the best idea to feed a sea lion like Poncho.
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“Sigh – another celeb to now unfollow,” one commenter wrote. Another added: “No mask and you have children too,” while a third quipped: “what pandemic?”
Rhett posted some of the same photos on his Instagram page as well, and of course it got similar comments. One person wrote: “funny how your wife said ‘this year’s just been heavy’ it looks like it’s been REAL heavy with all of your travels.”
As for Poncho, several people who had been to Cabo themselves recognized the friendly sea lion. However, animal lovers warned that feeding a wild animal like this one can be dangerous for them in the longterm.
“Oh I hope you guys weren’t actually feeding Poncho,” one person wrote. I know it’s pointless to say anything now, but people seeing you do it will think it’s cool and okay, and it’s far from okay. This makes animals less cautious around people and less eager to hunt of their own. Poaching of many species in Mexico is problematic and this guy unfortunately may be an easy target with people feeding him.”
Rhett and Akins did not respond to their comments, negative or otherwise, on Tuesday. The couple has acknowledged the coronavirus pandemic in other posts, but here they made no mention of it. Rhett and Akins have three daughters, including one that was just born in February of 2020.
The coronavirus pandemic is worsening severely in the U.S., and public health experts say that avoiding travel, public crowds and social gatherings is the best way to stay safe and to curb its spread. For the latest information on COVID-19, visit the websites of the CDC and the World Health Organization.
