Acknowledging a mistake. Chrissy Teigen admitted that a tweet she sent out over the weekend about ordering soup from across the country in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic was “tone deaf.”
The Cravings author, 34, who lives in California, found herself in a bit of hot water on Sunday, March 15, when in a since-deleted tweet, she encouraged her followers to order food using a company called Goldbelly, which delivers eats from around the country. “This is not an ad but if you’re holed up at home, ordering America’s best food from Goldbelly is the way to go right now!” she wrote. “Currently shipping clam chowder from Boston to myself.”
In a separate tweet that Teigen has also since deleted, she expressed her love of Goldbelly. “If you’ve ever eaten somewhere and dreamed of having that certain bite again, chances are they have it available for delivery to your mouth and it’s so fun to scroll through,” she explained.
Though it’s abundantly clear that the Bring the Funny judge had no malintent with her tweets, she got flack for the messages almost instantly as some Twitter users found them to be in poor taste. Her tweets came as local governments across the country mandated closures for restaurants and bars in an effort to limit the spread of coronavirus, though many cities are still allowing people to order in from local eateries during certain times.
In an effort to remedy her misstep, Teigen promptly tweeted: “correction: do NOT order soup.”
Paleontologist Trevor Valle responded and initially called the initial tweet “reprehensible.” He also clarified that the angry replies Teigen received likely weren’t about the soup itself. “It’s about people being scared about not having enough resources, who can’t do what you do …” he explained. “Isolated people using social media to connect, and if they see something like that, and then feel worse, because they can’t.”
Teigen countered, writing back: “It IS just soup. I can’t make everyone happy, I’ve really tried. why am I not allowed to make a boring, earnest tweet about something I enjoy that some others can too?” She also noted that by ordering food from a restaurant in Boston, she was supporting a small business that could likely use the sale.
For its part, Goldbelly maintained that it is dedicated to helping small businesses that are losing money because of coronavirus. “Goldbelly is predicated on empowering hundreds of small mom & pop food makers across the country – most who have shut down their shops, many who are in danger of going out of business,” the company explained in a tweet. “All they have left now is their shipping business. Now is the time to support small business!”
Then, another follower chimed in and clarified that the to some people, the idea of ordering soup from across the country might seem “pompous and ill-timed right now.”
The Lip Sync Battle cohost then got a bit defensive and responded to Valle, 44, asking: “Would you like my f–king arm?”
The Mammoths Unearthed host clarified: “I don’t want your arm. Or your life. Or clout (like some of your followers think). I was pointing out that a whole lot of people are scared about having enough resources in a panic while you FedEx soup across the county.”
He added that if Teigen was looking to aid the food industry during this turbulent time, there are other actions she can take. “If it’s really about wanting to help small business, you could buy a gift certificate to use later at that place while still helping to flatten the curve,” he wrote. “Or make a donation to pay a day’s wages. Or any number of things.”
The cookware designer then softened her stance and noted that she has already taken those steps. “I’ve done those things too. And more,” she replied. “I promise you I am not bad??”
Valle assured Teigen that he knows she’s not a bad person and is actually “incredibly generous and kind,” but maintained his stance that the star’s initial soup tweet was “momentarily out of touch.”
The upcoming host of Chrissy’s Court responded: “I’m sad this is our first interaction but I promise, I hear you and get it.”
In a follow-up tweet replying to a fan who had witnessed the soup debacle play out in real-time, Teigen called the interaction a “ride” and clarified what she meant. “I didn’t mean it to sound like I don’t care about the pandemic? it was tweeted quite innocently, perhaps tone deaf but I like soup and if you can support these businesses, then that seemed cool but yeah if you can’t, then that is also fine, I am not shaming you.”
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This incident comes about two weeks after the Utah native was criticized for feeding her children fresh fruit. The critique took place after Teigen shared a video via her Cravings website in which she explains how she created a “menu” for her daughter, Luna, 3, after the toddler became a picky eater. The menu includes Corn Flakes topped with raspberries, and Cheerios served with blueberries, which naysayers noted are not affordable for everyone.
“I think I gotta leave the internet,” Teigen quipped at the time.
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