A video uploaded by Home And Away actress Sam Frost, in which she “came out” as unvaccinated, elicited varied reactions from Australian celebs.
On Saturday, the 32-year-old shared an emotional video on her social media website, explaining that she had decided not to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Sam stated she had “valid reasons” not to receive the vaccination but decided to keep them private in the now-deleted video, then asked for “empathy” for others who choose to stay unvaccinated.
In the five-minute video, she says, “I was extremely reluctant about shooting a video or even speaking up about this type of behaviour.”
“However, I feel that the world is reaching a stage where there is a lot of division and harsh judgement, and it’s taking a toll on my mental health.”
Her usage of the term “segregation” and her refusal to be vaccinated sparked a reaction from fans and fellow celebrities across the internet.
Sam’s Instagram account has now been disabled, but not before a slew of celebs reacted to her now-famous video.
Abbie Chatfield and Matt Agnew, both former Bachelor stars, came out against Sam’s video, alleging it propagated disinformation about the COVID-19 vaccination.
Abbie expressed her thoughts on Instagram, saying, “I mean, it sorta speaks for itself.”
“It takes a lot of courage to ‘come out’ as placing yourself above your community because you listen to disinformation. Another reality celebrity bites the dust ?”
After some people accused her of “bullying” Sam off the platform, she subsequently posted a video on Instagram explaining her reaction.
Before expressing her concerns about Sam’s video, Abbie stated, “These folks want to be victims so badly.”
“A major flaw in her video was that she stated she felt separated and less of a human, so she’s attempting to exploit the hardships and oppression of people of colour in the past and present to justify her lack of vaccination.”
Sam wouldn’t lose any of the “privileges” granted to fully vaccinated people in Australia if she had a genuine medical exemption, Abbie noted.
She continued by accusing Sam of “promoting anti-vax sentiments and disinformation.”
“It appears that you [Sam] desire to be a victim… You’re causing harm to those who have valid medical exemptions “Abbie said.
Meanwhile, Matt Agnew said that he didn’t want to “load on” against Sam, but he did want to refute some of the charges she made in her video.
“Sam Frost kicked things off with a long diatribe about not getting vaccinated. It’s a dog whistle at its most basic level “He scribbled.
“I’m not going to contribute to the pile. What I’d want to do is just debate and refute a couple of the arguments that have been made.”
The only reason a person should “choose” not to get vaccinated against COVID-19, according to Agnew, is if they are medically unable to.
Sam said in her video that she had discussed the vaccine with her doctor and psychotherapist before opting out.
She also said it was “none of your damn business” why she or anybody else didn’t get vaccinated, and asked vaccinated people to offer “empathy” to the unvaccinated.
“An request was made [by Sam] to demonstrate compassion and empathy, while demonstrating none of those traits by choosing to put the lives of those who cannot be vaccinated at danger,” Matt said.
“Many anti-vaxxers omit this step. You have an impact on others.”
Sam’s usage of the word “segregation” when referring to those who refuse to be vaccinated also irritated the former Bachelor.
“Considering the historical importance of the word,’segregation,’ the usage of the phrase is improper,” he wrote.
“When it has such enormous weight and importance to others, it should not be utilised carelessly.”
He finished his article by emphasising that those with significant social media followings have a “social and moral duty” to not disseminate COVID-19 disinformation.
“Misinformation is a significant problem,” he added, “and the unregulated dissemination of information by persons with enormous social media followings is a big part of it.”
Other Australian celebrities have spoken out against Sam’s video, with Em Rusciano, the runner-up on The Masked Singer, criticising it on Twitter.
She stated, “Sam Frost is a wealthy white lady who has worked her way through the epidemic.”
“Watching her tearfully speak about ‘segregation’ because she chooses not to get vaccinated and being called ‘brave’ by her followers is taking me to a level of ‘what the f–k’ I didn’t know was possible.”
Sam’s Instagram account has subsequently been deleted, and she has decided not to respond to the ongoing outrage to her initial video.
A representative for Seven responded to Now To Love’s request for comment, saying: “Seven actively encourages all of our employees to be vaccinated, and all Seven productions follow the COVID-19 safe procedures for public health.
“In addition to other precautionary precautions, the cast and crew of Home and Away undergo COVID-19 testing three times a week.
“Sam Frost continues to work on Home and Away while adhering to the established safety measures.”
