“I’m so sorry”: Guy Sebastian apologises for pro-vax video
Guy Sebastian has issued an emotional apology after posting a now-deleted social media message urging Australians to get vaccinated which was part a music industry advertisement called #VaxTheNation’.
In an Instagram video shared late Monday night, The Voice judge claimed the original post from #VaxTheNation had been published without his “direct involvement” and he told his followers he was “really sorry.”
“I would never, ever tell people what to do when it comes to their personal health choices,” he said.
#VaxTheNation is an advertising campaign
#VaxTheNation is an advertising campaign for the music industry, urging Australians to get vaccinated so live shows can resume.
Music industry heavyweights including Jimmy Barnes, Amy Shark, and the Hilltop Hoods, along with major record labels, ticketing agencies and festival organisers, have backed the #VaxTheNation
initiative, which was released on Monday.
The campaign calls for Australians to help “stop the interruptions” to the entertainment industry and help end the cycle of lockdowns.
Sebastian is promoted among the high-profile names behind the cause.
But it seems Sebastian has had second thoughts and he aired these on his Instagram video, saying:
“I’m sure some of you today would have seen an industry call-out with the best of intentions for our live music industry – which has been absolutely decimated – trying to find a pathway forward so that we can all assemble together again.”
“While I, like everybody else in my industry, want things to get going again, it is not my role to communicate in a way that that post was communicated,” he said.
“I would never, ever tell people what to do when it comes to their personal health choices. I’m very sensitive of it – not only on a public level, but even in my personal life, with people who have circumstances that they have to consider when making these choices.”
Sebastian ended with a direct apology: “I just want to say I’m really sorry, it was not a post that communicated with the love or compassion which I feel is needed when it comes to addressing things like vaccinations.
“I just wanted to clarify that so I could speak my truth and people would know how I actually feel.”
Apology seems to have backfired
It seems the apology video seems to have backfired, with many fans and fellow musos left confused by his message.
Ben Lee tweeted: ‘To be honest, this is actually a really sad example of what happens when your career is dependent on trying to be all things to all people.’
Another tweeted: ‘Man, any musicians apologising for trying to get back to work by advocating for a safer audience is self defeating. Unpack your spine ya goofballs.’
And Joel Creasey tweeted: ‘But seriously, Guy trying to sit on the fence in a pandemic is a fun new move.’
Last year, Sebastian copped a similar backlash from the industry after posing with Prime Minister Scott Morrison in an unpaid role to help promote the federal government’s $250 million emergency relief package.
But the botched funding was widely criticised by the entertainment industry, who were disappointed by the slow rollout - and Sebastian later told the Herald Sun he felt he’d been used as a “prop” by the Federal Government.
“I copped it, because I was trying to support something I believed would make a difference. And it hasn’t, so that’s on me,” Sebastian said.
“I made that decision, I’ll cop it, that’s fair enough. But it doesn’t mean I agree with how it’s been rolled out, I think it’s dismal.”
Sebastian’s personal decision
In a statement to news.com.au, Sebastian made his position on vaccination clear: “There is no confusion, I made the personal decision to be double vaccinated. I support the music industry initiatives to revive our industry, however, I personally don’t believe it is my place to deal in absolutes to tell people what to do in regards to their personal health choices. We need to remember to communicate with empathy and understanding. This has always been my goal.”
Image: Instagram