'Meow...': Kirstie Alley's feud with CNN gets personal as she blasts covid 'fear mongering and fake information' while network tweets that 'countless people' turned off when her show Veronica's Closet came on TV
Actress Kirstie Alley has hit back at CNN after the network slammed her for ‘downplaying’ the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
On Friday, Alley and the network got into a heated Twitter exchange after she accused CNN of causing people to ‘live in terror’ as a result of their coverage of the global health crisis.
‘I know why my personal friends who walk around in SHEER TERROR of contracting COVID are simply CNN viewers!’ the 69-year-old Scientologist wrote.
‘I decided to watch CNN myself to get their viewpoint and oh my God DID I EVER!!!! If YOU TOO WANT TO LIVE IN TERROR WATCH CNN!! FEAR OF DYING IS THEIR MANTRA! OMG!’ she added.
CNN’s official communications page quickly issued a response to Alley, scorning: ‘Kirstie, you are welcome to change the channel — just like countless viewers did every time “Veronica's Closet” came on TV,’ in reference to her 1997 sitcom.
‘But don't downplay the loss of nearly 230K American lives. And please, wear a mask,’ the tweet continued.
Alley, who has been vocal about her support for Donald Trump, hit back: ‘Meow... if only you paid as much attention to Joe Biden's alleged corrupt business dealings as a TV show that was rated top ten in 1997... guess you got that wrong too.’
Actress Kirstie Alley has hit back at CNN after the network slammed her for ‘downplaying’ the ongoing coronavirus pandemic
On Friday, Alley and the network got into a heated Twitter exchange after she accused CNN of causing people to ‘live in terror’ as a result of their coverage of the global health crisis
Alley, who has been vocal about her support for Donald Trump, hit back: ‘Meow... if only you paid as much attention to Joe Biden's alleged corrupt business dealings as a TV show that was rated top ten in 1997... guess you got that wrong too.’
While the direct exchange between the actress and CNN went no further, she later addressed the incident in an additional post, insisting she has never discouraged wearing masks during the pandemic.
‘Find ONE tweet I've tweeted to encourage people NOT to wear masks or NOT be careful or that has said anything disrespectful about sick people or those who have died... there isn't one,’ Alley tweeted.
‘THIS is how FAKE information spreads like,’ she continued, followed by a GIF of oozing lava.
She further defended herself in another message, writing that she ‘should be ashamed of CNN terrifies people 24/7 & that the only news they’re reporting is Covid? I’m a mask wearing social distancing devotee. I know the death count you f**king moron. That still doesn’t discount CNN terrifying people 24/7 with ZERO NEW SOLUTIONS!’
As of Sunday, more than 9.2 million Americans have tested positive for COVID-19, and over 230,000 have died.
On Friday the country set a record for new daily infections of more than 94,000 in 24 hours, breaking the record of 91,000 it had set just one day earlier.
The Trump administration's head of COVID-19 testing said this week that the record-breaking numbers of new infections in the country are ‘real,’ and not because of an increase in testing, in contrast to claims made by Trump.
‘Testing may be identifying some more cases, I think that's clearly true, but what we're seeing is a real increase in the numbers,’ Testing czar Admiral Brett Giroir, also an assistant secretary of Health and Human Services, told the Washington Post.
Giroir urged Americans to keep up hygiene practices, wear masks and social distance as the crisis could get worse.
‘So, you know, we really have a mixed picture, but we are tenuous now,’ he said. ‘We really have to re-engage the public health measures that we know work or those hospitalizations can go up substantially.’
Weeks ago, Alley sparked further controversy online when she announced her support for President Trump, saying she was voting for him because ‘he’s NOT a politician’.
‘I voted for him 4 years ago for this reason and shall vote for him again for this reason. He gets things done quickly and he will turn the economy around quickly. There you have it folks there you have it.’
The declaration earned her praise and criticism in equal measure. Fellow celebrities were quick to blast her, including director Judd Apatow who responded: ‘Shelly Long was way funnier than you’ of the actress whom Alley replaced on the beloved sitcom Cheers.
Actress Patricia Arquette tweeted: 'Well my vote for Biden canceled yours out. I have done my civic duty of the day.'
West Wing star Bradley Whitford added: 'Exactly, @kirstiealley, @realDonaldTrump gets things done! Like the wall he built that Mexico paid for, the healthcare plan that he passed, the infrastructure plan, the way he neutralized the NK nuclear threat, and the way he released his taxes and kept us all safe! Great point!'
In response to the mounting critique, Alley doubled down on her convictions, writing: ‘Stick to your guns. Not always easy to be under fire but always easier than going against your integrity.’