AP Photo/Jason DeCrow
- David Geffen, who has a net worth of $7.7 billion, faced swift backlash after he shared a photo on Instagram that showed him "self-isolating" on his $590 million superyacht Rising Sun in the Grenadines.
- Geffen deleted his Instagram soon after.
- The billionaire entertainment mogul is just one of the many celebrities and wealthy people who have come under fire for seemingly flaunting their wealth or being generally tone-deaf amid the coronavirus pandemic.
- As Business Insider previously reported, billionaires have been chartering superyachts in the hopes of riding out the coronavirus in comfort.
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Billionaires are self-isolating on superyachts, and they're not afraid to show it.
On Saturday, David Geffen shared on Instagram that he was "isolated in the Grenadines avoiding the virus," with photos of his $590 million super yacht, Rising Sun. Rising Sun has famously hosted celebrities from Oprah to Barack Obama to Jeff Bezos.
"Sunset last night," one photo was captioned. "I'm hoping everyone is saying safe."
But people on the internet didn't take kindly to the tone-deaf nature of Geffen's post. In fact, the backlash was so swift that Geffen has since deleted his Instagram altogether.
The response to Geffen's post is just the latest example of celebrities and ultra-wealthy people being criticized and called out for posting photos from their mansions and sharing "uplifting" singing videos as people around the world deal with issues like mass layoffs and loss of income during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Business Insider previously reported that billionaires were flocking to charter superyachts so they can escape the coronavirus pandemic. Yachts are generally assumed to be cleaner than standard cruise ships because of rigorous maintenance routines, but they can be pricey to charter. Some go for $120,000 a week plus crew costs, while others can set you back as much as $600,000 a week.
Meanwhile, cruise ships around the world are still being rejected from ports as passengers become sick, and commercial airline travel has fallen so steeply that the industry is looking for a bail out. Private plane use, however, is on the rise.
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Thanks, David Geffen, for your thoughts. pic.twitter.com/5XTRhGX5OP
- southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) March 28, 2020"You walked in... to the party
Like you were walking onto a yacht..."
There's a reason people thought Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" was about David Geffen. https://t.co/KoVjuePEPI
- The Hoarse Whisperer (@HoarseWisperer) March 28, 2020David Geffen sends a message:
You poor plebs can suck it.
It's fabulous to be rich.
Look at me!
h/t @litcapital pic.twitter.com/q1hELQa3H3
- Sven Henrich (@NorthmanTrader) March 28, 2020David Geffen is out-of-touch. Maybe if he made a large donation for medical protective gear for our overworked nurses, doctors & medical staff, he wouldn't come off as an elitist jerk. pic.twitter.com/ED5i7JmZGU
- 🎠🕯Deb💫 (@Dee___NY) March 28, 2020David Geffen is worth 8 billion dollars! For God's sake help this country get ventilators, our health workers masks and the medical supplies they need! Or no, just stay on your fucking yacht instagramming. This is just shameful and grotesque. https://t.co/iZ0e5VKLDM
- Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) March 28, 2020David Geffen's thought process: "Hey you know what, millions are losing their jobs, can't pay their rent and they're worried about a deadly pandemic, I bet they'd love to know how I'm doing. Fire up the copter so we can take some more pics of my yacht! They'll love this!!!" 💀 pic.twitter.com/yby7xOjb8C
- Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) March 28, 2020