Gospel singer CeCe Winans is speaking out after receiving backlash for appearing in a coronavirus ad that is slated to run as part of what critics are calling an overtly political Health and Human Services Department publicity campaign designed to bolster confidence in President Donald Trump’s handling of the crisis.
On Friday, Sept. 24, the singer took to her Instagram account to address the issue. With a selfie video, the star explained that the advertisement had nothing to do with the president and was instead to help spread awareness about the importance of wearing a mask in public amid the pandemic.
“I was asked a couple of weeks ago to do an interview with the surgeon general, Jerome Adams, about the coronavirus,” Winans said in the clip. “This interview stresses how important it is for everyone to wear a mask, and it also gives us other instructions on how to get on the other side of this pandemic. It is not political at all. We have lost so many lives to COVID-19. Let’s all do everything we can so we won’t lose any more. God bless you.”
A representative for the “Mercy Said No” singer, Chaz Corzine, also released a statement around the same time, saying, “She volunteered her time participating in the PSA and was happy to do so because of her concerns about how COVID has and is impacting the African American community.”
Winans restricted access to her comments section underneath the video, seemingly to minimize further discussion on the matter. However, over on Twitter, where the star shared the video, the clip garnered a not-so-accepting reaction from fans. Despite Winans’ video explanation, fans still sought to know whether she is a Trump supporter, seeing as the songstress never clarified her political stance.
One user commented, “@cecewinans we really need to know if you support or don’t support Republicans and Impeachment3.” They added, “Our democracy is at risk. Over 7 million infected & over 200k dead from COVID-19. High levels of corruption w 45 & McConnell. We need to know where you stand. Seriously.”
While another person wrote, “Girl … now you know God is not a God of Confusion … Stop playing with the Church and tell the people if you support Velveeta Voldemort or not …”
By and large, fans were merely unsatisfied with Winans’ justification, including one person who wrote, “This is terrible. You could have produced your own public health message or partnered with the hundreds and thousands of others who’ve been pushing this message for months. Yet, you partner with the entity that knowingly allowed people to die.”
Winans became a trending topic, along with actor Dennis Quaid, on Twitter after Politico shared their article regarding the supposed Trump ordered ad campaign.
According to Politico, the Health and Human Services Department is leading a $300 million ad campaign that spokesman Michael Caputo previously said was ordered by Donald Trump. The ads, which will run before Election Day (Nov. 3) and will feature video interviews between administration officials and celebrities who speak on the pandemic and Trump’s response to it. The ad campaign will also feature CeCe, who sat down with U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams for her ad clip.
