YouTube star Jake Paul doesn’t want to stop partying with his friends, despite the fact that COVID-19 continues to rapidly spread throughout the United States. After receiving backlash for throwing a massive bash at his Calabasas mansion last month, Paul revealed in a new interview that he isn’t going to let the pandemic put his life on hold.
“I don’t know what to think of it, to be honest. I don’t think anyone really does,” Paul explained to Insider. “No one has answers, our leadership is failing us, and everyone kind of just doesn’t know what to do.”
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However, it doesn’t appear that Paul will stop hosting parties or attending large gatherings while ignoring social distancing. He added: “But I personally am not the type of person who’s gonna sit around and not live my life.”
On July 14, Paul threw a huge party in his backyard that featured numerous TikTok stars and YouTube celebrities, and the pics and videos from the bash showed that no one was wearing a mask or practicing social distancing.
Calabasas Mayor Alicia Weintraub criticized Paul’s event, saying she was “outraged” and warned that local authorities would shut down future parties and Paul could be subject to fines. Paul claims that he talked to the mayor and “everything is cool,” but Weintraub says that’s not the case and she only spoke to Paul’s rep.
Jake Paul isn’t the only social media influencer who has faced criticism for ignoring the effort to mitigate COVID-19. One week after Paul’s party, his ex Tana Mongeau and a group of YouTube and TikTok stars attended a party at Hype House in Los Angeles.
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In one video, Mongeau and fellow YouTuber Erika Costell appeared to say “we don’t f*cking care” in reference to the social distancing guidelines. She later explained that they were talking about “past drama,” but she still apologized.
“Partying/going to any social gatherings during a global pandemic was such a careless and irresponsible action on my behalf,” wrote Mongeau on her Instagram Story. “I fully hold myself accountable for this + will be staying inside. Actions like that don’t deserve a platform and I want to fully apologize and be better than this.”
As of August 1, there are 188,680 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Los Angeles County, and more than 4,600 residents have died.