Chrissy Teigen Clears Confusion Over Horse Hobby Tweets Amid Backlash

Chrissy Teigen said she was getting into horse-riding after speaking with her therapist, but her message was misunderstood by Twitter users who rushed to accuse her of being out-of-touch with Americans who are struggling during the coronavirus pandemic. In her first message about the new hobby, Teigen said she had “absolutely nothing,” which one person misinterpreted as meaning Teigen literally had nothing.

“My therapist says I need something that I do for just me, as I have absolutely nothing currently, [laughing out loud]. Today begins my journey into the horse world. I hope this dude likes me,” Teigen wrote on Jan. 16, alongside a photo of a horse. “He’s so handsome and appears lazy, I love.” Teigen and her husband, singer John Legend, have had a difficult few months personally, as Teigen suffered a miscarriage in September.

One Twitter user accused Teigen of being extravagant at a time when others are struggling. “A lot of people are unemployed and struggling to feed their family in the midst of a pandemic. Maybe now isn’t a great time to say you ‘have nothing’ so you bought a horse to entertain yourself,” the person wrote. Teigen retweeted the message, adding her own comment to clarify. “A lot of [you] really misinterpreted this tweet and I guess that’s on me,” the Cravings author wrote. “I didn’t say I have nothing, I said I have nothing I do for just me. A convo with a therapist. A hobby. Cause I lost a baby. And I’m figuring myself out. And i didn’t buy a horse. But oh my god, what if I did?”

Some of Teigen’s followers defended her, including journalist Soledad O’Brien. “A lot of us DIDN’T misinterpret your tweet and we think it’s awesome,” O’Brien wrote. “There’s a big community of mom riders here (some incredibly accomplished… others… um.. going a lil slower!) congrats on your new hobby. As a mom of four, I can tell you — it’s great to have your own thing!”

Teigen has been open about the grieving process since her miscarriage last fall. She recently decided to stop drinking completely. In Instagram Story posts earlier this week, Teigen said she received a book about sobriety from a friend, and she realized she was drinking too much. She is now four weeks sober. “I was done with making an a— of myself in front of people (I’m still embarrassed), tired of day drinking and feeling like s— at 6, not being able to sleep,” Teigen wrote at the time. “I have been sober ever since.”

Teigen’s son, whom the couple named Jack, passed away during the 20th week of her pregnancy. In December, she shared a sad post about realizing she will likely never get pregnant again. “I love being pregnant, so so much, and I’m sad I never will be again. But I am lucky to have two amazing little ones who are transforming into big little people more and more every single day,” she wrote, referring to children Miles and Luna.