Juicy J has triggered the start of a recurring debate about the COVID-19 vaccines. Early Friday morning (March 26), the Three 6 Mafia star hopped on Twitter to share his opinion on the preventative measures. “If I was you, I wouldn’t get vaccinated,” he wrote, following up with his recommendation: “I would wear a mask & take vitamins.”
The tweet drew an onslaught of reactions from users, mostly people who mentioned his use of drugs.
“People like Juicy J will take molly or ecstasy but ‘do not trust’ a COVID vaccine,” tweeted a supporter of the newly-developed shot. Another user penned the tweet, “Former and/or current hard drug user Juicy J saying not to get vaccinated lol. That’s funny.”
In a third post, someone wrote, “Juicy J has probably taken every drug known to man, but the vaccine is where he draws the line lmaooooo.”
Among the backlash, however, there were a few supporters of Juicy’s take. “Y’all listened to #JuicyJ when they said to pop your collar, so pop them vitamins like he said and shut the fuck uuuuup,” wrote one user.
“Juicy J is right,” another person tweeted. “Some of the vaccines are being recalled because they got rushed, and some people are experiencing real problems.”
The controversial tweet has since been deleted.
The COVID-19 vaccines have been the topic of many conversations since before any became available for distribution. The fear and skepticism surrounding the shots have prompted healthcare workers, government officials and well-known celebrities to encourage vaccinations by documenting their own reception of the preventative medication.
Earlier this month, former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton appeared in a commercial that featured images of them getting the vaccination with their wives. Tyler Perry also shared his experience receiving the COVID-19 vaccine in his BET feature “COVID-19 Vaccine and the Black Community: A Tyler Perry Special.”
“I’m not taking this vaccine because I want you to take it. I wanna give you the information so you can make your own choices,” Perry said. “I think that’s what it’s about: education and information.”
Juicy J/Twitter