Jeffree Star poses for photos in 2018 in Bologna, Italy.
Topline: Makeup artist and influencer Jeffree Star reportedly gave away $15,000 of dollars to fans impacted by coronavirus on Twitter, in a tweet that was the most shared on the platform this week, according to data compiled by the social media tracking firm NewsWhip.
- “I’m gonna give away $5,000 to 3 random people who retweets this and follows me!” Star, a YouTuber and founder of Jeffree Star Cosmetics, wrote April 1, adding, “Quarantine is lasting way longer than expected and I wanna keep helping out.”
- As of Sunday morning, Star’s giveaway had been retweeted over 586,000 times, making it the most-shared tweet on the platform compared to the previous Sunday, March 29, 2020.
- Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey offered to send users money on March 18 through the Cash app, while pop star Britney Spears made a similar offer over Instagram two days later.
- Breakout rapper Lil Nas X and bestselling author Roxane Gay also used Twitter to donate funds to fans.
- Critics say the giveaways can attract scammers trying to take advantage of people already down on their luck.
- NewsWhip’s Twitter engagement data comes from its database of influential users, which tracks around 350,000 accounts.
Big number: Over 10 million. That’s how many American workers filed for unemployment over the past two weeks—an all-time high—as the coronavirus pandemic forced millions to stay home and businesses shuttered, in turn battering the economy.
Key background: Star has given away cash to struggling fans more than once, according to reports. Star teamed up with Pulte Group heir Bill Pulte on March 22 to give away $30,000 to one lucky person. Despite the financial gestures from Star and other public figures, the cult of celebrity has been challenged in this era of the coronavirus. NBA players and famous people, like the singer Pink or the model Heidi Klum, seem to be able to access COVID-19 testing easily, while the general public and healthcare workers on the front lines struggle to obtain them.
Tangent: Amanda Hess of the New York Times had this to say about celebrity culture during the coronavirus crisis: “The dream of class mobility dissipates when society locks down, the economy stalls, the death count mounts and everyone’s future is frozen inside their own crowded apartment or palatial mansion. The difference between the two has never been more obvious.”
