A host of celebrities have faced backlash from vaccine skeptics on social media after promoting Pfizer's COVID-19 preparedness and awareness initiative in paid partnerships on their Instagram accounts over the past week.

In the past few days, musicians Pink and Questlove, actress Jean Smart and Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps have taken to Instagram to share sponsored posts in which they have endeavored to spread awareness regarding high-risk groups.

As part of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer's "Know Plan Go" initiative, each celebrity has shared factors that have put them at a higher risk of developing severe COVID-19. These stories have also been shared on the Know Plan Go website.

The Know Plan Go website encourages members of the public to map out a plan with their healthcare providers to be best prepared before COVID-19 strikes, in a bid to prevent serious illness. It also encourages those who test positive to speak with their healthcare providers about the most suitable treatments.

"Having COVID-19 was a scary experience," Pink, 43, who was born Alecia Moore, said in a statement shared on the website. "Having asthma puts me at high risk for getting very sick from it. But now I'm ready to act quickly if COVID-19 strikes again. If I ever have symptoms—even if they're mild—I know to get tested quickly and make the call to my doctor right away if my test is positive."

The case of former competitive swimmer Phelps, 37, cited living with depression as a reason for backing the initiative.

"In my journey living with depression, I've learned a lot about how it can impact my overall health," Phelps said in a statement. "But I was surprised to find out that depression puts me at high risk for severe COVID-19. It's important to know if you may have a high-risk factor and be ready to act should you test positive."

Roots frontman Questlove, whose real name is Ahmir Thompson, said: "Learning that my weight puts me at high risk for severe disease from COVID-19 was illuminating and scary, but I feel empowered having this knowledge.

"Now I know, even if I have symptoms that seem mild, not to wait and reach out to my doctor immediately if I test positive," added the star, who turns 52 on January 20. "And I'm encouraging my friends and family to know their risk and make a plan too, so we're all ready to go."

Smart, 71, pointed to her diabetes as a risk factor, adding: "My health is so important to me, so making a plan is a no-brainer. Now I know what to do if I do test positive for COVID-19 and I will be ready to act fast."

Smart was absent from Sunday's Critics Choice Awards—where she landed her second straight win for her role in the HBO Max show Hacks—because she tested positive for COVID-19, Deadline reported.

While he doesn't appear on the Know Plan Go as part of the initiative, musician Charlie Puth is also counted among the celebrities who have shared paid partnership posts with Pfizer over the last few days.

In his video post, Puth, 31, said that he had taken an updated COVID booster shot.

While each star has shared different stories regarding the importance of being aware of risk factors, a common factor threading their posts together is that they have shared the uploads with comments turned off.

Screenshots of the posts were shared on Twitter, where a number of COVID-19 vaccine skeptics have weighed in with their criticism of the initiative.

Five Times August singer-songwriter Brad Skistimas was among those critics, accusing the stars in the initiative of prompting a purported "poison."

"Hi @Pink @questlove and @MichaelPhelps just wondering how much @pfizer paid you for this campaign to push their poison on the American people?" Twitter user Skistimas said. "What's it feel like to sell out for big pharma money? Hope it was worth all the 'sudden and unexpected' deaths you're enabling!"

"When Pink (singer) sold herself to Pfizer and 90% of the comments were negative, to a point where people gave their tickets back, the team just removed the comment section," one Twitter user wrote.

Sharing a screenshot of Pink's post, another detractor said that the singer was "sponsored by Pfizer! (No comments allowed because they don't want to see the ratio of truth)."

A spokesperson for Pfizer told Newsweek that the campaign will serve the "public health goal" of continuing to educate the public on defense against COVID-19.

"Since the start of the pandemic, Pfizer has committed to delivering both treatments and preventative solutions to address the COVID-19 pandemic," their statement said. "This access includes both donations and education through public health campaigns.

"Staying up to date on boosters remains one of the best defenses against COVID-19. As we enter the fourth year of COVID-19 infections in the United States, it is critical that we find new and innovative ways to continue educating the public on this topic. These campaigns serve that public health goal."

Since the COVID-19 vaccine was introduced two years ago, a faction of skeptics has baselessly pushed the idea that celebrity deaths have been linked to the shot, with the most recent being the late Lisa Marie Presley.

Comedian Bob Saget, actress Betty White and rapper DMX were all subject to speculative posthumous claims that they had been vaccinated shortly before their deaths. These claims were made without evidence.

This notion was in part propagated by a link between COVID-19 vaccines and two heart conditions: myocarditis and pericarditis.

While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recognized a link between COVID-19 vaccines and these conditions, such cases have rarely been reported, according to the health body, and "have especially been in adolescents and young adult males within several days after mRNA COVID-19 vaccination (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna)."

Moreover, multiple research studies have also found that the risk of myocarditis is higher after an infection from COVID-19 than after a vaccination for it.

Newsweek reached out to representatives of Pink, Questlove, Puth, Smart and Phelps for comment.

Update 1/18/23, 12 p.m. ET: This story has been updated to include details of Pfizer's Know Plan Go initiative.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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