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During a crisis, celebrities pooling together to create a fun and touching online video can act as the perfect distraction for some. It’s something that goes viral for all of us to watch together and share amongst ourselves to brighten up each other’s social media feeds. But what happens when said viral video is trying just a bit too much and leaves viewers cringing?
Comedian Hugo Boss, formerly known as Joe Lycett, who changed his name in a swipe at the fashion house, showed us what happens with a parody of a video that circulated online of celebrities singing the words to John Lennon’s Imagine.
The original video was created by Gal Gadot, best known for playing Wonder Woman in recent years, and featured Cara Delevingne, Will Ferrell, Amy Adams among others.
“We are in this together, we will get through it together.”
Gal Gadot just posted a video of her and other artists (who are also quarantined because of the COVID-19) singing Imagine by John Lennon on Instagram. pic.twitter.com/fRV6GhAF92
— best of gal (@bestofgaI) March 19, 2020
However, the well-spirited video that aimed to inspire hope during the crisis backfired, with critics saying that it came across as condescending and out of touch with the majority of people who are currently living in self-isolation.
Hugo Boss was amongst these critics, banding together with his own group of celebrities, this time well-known UK-based comedians, including Harry Hill, Katherine Ryan and Paul Elliott, to give their own rendition of Imagine. This time though, the word ‘bastards’ was thrown into each line, with Boss starting things off with ‘Imagine there’s no… bastards’.
Made a video with some friends pic.twitter.com/12DV9DU1Ep
— Hugo Boss (@joelycett) March 19, 2020
The video, that has been shared over a million times, may not have just been aimed at out of touch A-list actors and actresses but at governments reactions to coronavirus as well, as Nish Kumar’s line ‘Above us, only bastards’ suggests.
Whatever the motivation, the online video has been a success for comedians at a time when comedy tours and gigs have had to cancel due to public health concerns, harming the industry greatly. At least technology has allowed comedians to keep those with their heads in the clouds in check.
