Jaden Smith is under fire for his Halloween costume this weekend, which featured an oxygen mask much like the ones COVID-19 patients might wear while on a respirator. Fans are also disappointed that Smith eschewed social distancing on Saturday night to attend a Halloween party thrown by Kendall Jenner. However, the 22-year-old reportedly drew his inspiration from the movie Tenet.
“There’s just something so inhumane about Jaden Smith wearing an oxygen mask as a costume,” one Twitter user observed, along with a picture of Smith from the party. Smith has not posted photos from the event himself, but on Monday morning he posted a picture from Tenet which seemed to imply that that was where his costume came from. He captioned it: “We Live In A Twilight World.” However, considering that many fans have not gone out to theaters to see Tenet due to the coronavirus pandemic, they argued that this was still a bad look for Smith one way or another.
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There’s just something so inhumane about Jaden Smith wearing an oxygen mask as a costume pic.twitter.com/4d8KS09c1n
— mentally, spiritually and physically exhausted (@haaniyah_) November 1, 2020
“It’s still tone deaf,” one person tweeted. “He could’ve literally picked ANY other costume and stayed [the f—] HOME.”
The reason Smith has not addressed the controversy directly may be because he was not allowed — according to TMZ, the invitation to the party specifically warned guests to “not post on social media of any kind.” If Jenner feared that there would be public backlash to such posts, she was right, as fans everywhere are furious at her and all the stars who attended.
The party reportedly required guests to show a negative COVID-19 test to be admitted, and once inside there was no social distancing, face masks or other measures. This did not appease fans, who noted that the celebrities were setting a poor example for their impressionable followers, and were flaunting an immense amount of wealth and privilege at a time when others are suffering from an economic recession.
Moreover, public health officials say that Jenner’s precautions were not enough. County Health Officer Muntu Davis told Deadline: “There have been too many instances of people unknowingly spreading the virus at these types of gatherings, which, sadly, has led to new infections, serious illness and death.”
The coronavirus pandemic has killed nearly a quarter million Americans in the last seven months, and new cases, hospitalizations and deaths are still on the rise. For the latest information about the pandemic, visit the websites of the CDC and the World Health Organization.
