All the influencers who holidayed and partied despite COVID-19 restrictions

As we continue to ride the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, it seems influencers have tired of the ongoing restrictions. While the rest of us skip Christmas with our families and kiss our housemates on New Year’s Eve, celebs are hosting plague raves and flying out to the Maldives to show off their Pretty Little Thing bikinis.

Among the crowd of influencers dipping out of their own country’s restrictions, and predisposing themselves to this new highly contagious strain, was TikTok royalty, Charli and Dixie D’Amelio, who have only just bounced back from their recent scandal (if you can even call it that). Jake Paul was also spotted flouting the rules, as he attended a crowded party in Ohio, while seemingly every contestant from Love Island flew to Dubai for infectious NYE celebrations.

As the UK registers its highest ever daily number of coronavirus cases (over 57,000) and the US death toll passes 350,000, here’s a list of the influencers partying and holidaying despite ever-tightening restrictions.

CHARLI AND DIXIE D’AMELIO

It’s been just over a month since the D’Amelio sisters found themselves in hot water after fans disapproved of their attitudes during a family dinner. While that drama – which you can read about here – was undeniably blown out of proportion, the new controversy has drawn fair criticism from fans. As reported by Entertainment Tonight Canada, Charli and Dixie headed to the Bahamas for a holiday with a handful of friends, including fellow TikTokers Chase Hudson, Noah Beck, and Mandi Monroe.

A clip of the group was shared on Instagram by the “first ever TikTok shaderoom” @TikTokRoom, while other photos and videos shared on TikTok show the influencers posing with fans at a resort and in a shopping area. Fans are, understandably, disappointed. Many have pointed out the hypocrisy of Charli asking people breaking the rules to “stop being so inconsiderate to others”, before doing the same thing herself.

“The way Charli even SPOKE out on Live about how she said she’d do better staying home and social distancing, then they all go to the fucking BAHAMAS?” one fan said on Twitter. “Could that not wait??? Like it’s OK, take a break from social media, I get it, but you can do that AT HOME.”

@gabbyrossi_

#charlidamelio #noahbeck #lilhuddy no big deal

♬ Lottery - K CAMP

TANA MONGEAU

On December 28, YouTuber Tana Mongeau revealed that she was fleeing her holiday spot in Colorado after receiving death threats. In a video shared on Instagram, the influencer said: “What’s up, guys? Fun fact. Actually, really really sad fact. Earlier when I posted, ‘Bye Denver’, I actually wasn’t leaving Denver at all. People were just threatening our home and trying to kill us there. So, now I’m in a hotel. Storytime?” She later said she’d be taking a private jet out of Colorado and back to LA. Good for the environment and the pandemic! 

As reported by Exclusive Hollywood, it’s believed Mongeau was in danger after accidentally revealing her location online. It seems the death threats may have been coming from stalkers, rather than people who were mad about her breaking lockdown rules. That doesn’t mean people weren’t mad, though. Some were skeptical of how truthful Mongeau was being, while two Twitter users pointed out that staying “at home like the rest of us” would be the “cheapest, easiest solution” to the situation. It’s important to say, however, that people simply not sending death threats is actually the solution.

JAKE PAUL

No stranger to coronavirus controversy – the YouTuber previously called the pandemic a “hoax” – Jake Paul has been spotted partying in Ohio. The influencer was filmed at a party on December 27 with his former Team 10 friend Anthony Trujillo, as the pair overlooked a crowded room of people drinking and dancing. One user called for YouTube to punish the influencer, writing on Twitter: “He’ll never learn but if @YouTube demonetises his content, then he may learn some kind of lesson.”

In July, Paul was criticised for hosting a garden party during which he filmed the music video for his track, “Fresh Outta London”, which saw maskless guests ignoring social distancing rules.

HANNAH RENÉE, MADISON SARAH, AND RACH LEARY

British influencers and friends Madison Sarah, Hannah Renée, and Rach Leary have also been caught flouting the rules. After posting a ‘Get Ready With Me’ video on her YouTube channel, in which she boasted of her plans for a quiet New Year’s Eve – she told fans she was “going to have a bottle of champagne to myself” – Sarah was filmed breaking Manchester’s Tier 4 lockdown by inviting a group of friends to her flat for a party. The video has since been shared on TikTok and currently has over 35,000 likes. After it went viral, Sarah, Renée, and Leary each posted apology videos on their Instagram Stories, though all of them have been criticised for “saying the exact same thing”.

@amy_bxo

Its the influencers breaking lockdown for me x (watch whole video) #lockdown #manchester #uklockdown #influencers #madisonsarah #rachelleary #fyp

♬ original sound - Amy

BASICALLY EVERYONE FROM LOVE ISLAND, GEORDIE SHORE, AND TOWIE

It appears there’s a Love Island x Geordie Shore x TOWIE mashup coming to a screen near you soon, as the casts have all congregated in Dubai – and, obviously, we can only assume it’s for work. Last month, Molly-Mae and Tommy Fury travelled from their Cheshire home to Dubai, before then heading off to the Maldives. Former Love Island cast members, Hayley Hughes, Gabby Allen, Olivia and Alex Bowen, Georgia Steele, Ellie Brown, and Anton Danyluk also headed to the UAE city, with many of them claiming the trips were for ‘business purposes’. Other stars were also spotted in Dubai, including Chloe Ferry and Sophie Kasaei of Geordie Shore fame, and TOWIE’s Yazmin Oukhellou and James Lock.

Tired of the constant social media posts, comrades Jedward hit back on Twitter, writing: “Info for influencers promoting Dubai! It has coronavirus, but doesn’t have rights for LGBTQ+ so please stop promoting countries where it’s criminal to kiss the one you love!”

THE 60 PEOPLE WHO CAPSIZED A ‘GAY PARTY BOAT’

On New Year’s Eve, a “gay party boat” carrying approximately 60 people capsized off the coast of Puerto Vallarta in west Mexico. Videos shared on social media show people swimming to nearby rescue boats for safety, as the first one sinks down into the depths of the ocean. As reported by PinkNews, attendees paid up to $150 for a ticket to the “men-only, clothing optional” event. One passenger compared the incident to the Titanic, telling PinkNews: “It went down slowly. I think the crew just didn’t know how to manoeuvre the catamaran very well, the sea was not very rough nor was it too windy.”

The party happened despite the state of Jalisco observing some of Mexico’s strongest restrictions, as Puerto Vallarta’s hospitals reach tipping point with coronavirus cases. Under the restrictions, people aren’t meant to gather in groups of more than eight people.

Several attendees were named and shamed on the @GaysOverCovid Instagram account. The owner of the account later became the target of the #GaysOverKarens hashtag, which offered $500 to anyone who could reveal their identity. Read more about that mess here.