How does that joke go? Dave Chapelle, Elon Musk and Grimes walk into a bar...
The U.S. comedian, Space-X founder and Canadian musician are an unlikely trio, but were seen together in two star-studded backstage photos from Chappelle’s residency in Austin, Tx, posted Tuesday. And the photos have fans cringing for a few reasons.
For one, both Chappelle and Grimes have recently tested positive for COVID-19. And in the photos, none of the celebrities is wearing a mask, nor are they social distancing.
Chappelle is currently asymptomatic and his upcoming shows have since been cancelled, a spokesperson told the Associated Press.
Watch: Dave Chappelle tests positive for COVID-19. Story continues below.
As for Grimes, the Vancouver-born singer told fans she “finally” tested positive for COVID-19 two weeks ago.
“Finally got COVID but weirdly enjoying the DayQuil fever dream...2021,” she wrote in an Instagram story posted on Jan. 9.
Other attendees pictured include her partner, Musk, comedian Michelle Wolf, and podcaster Joe Rogan, who was previously performing in Chappelle’s shows. As Yahoo notes, Rogan and Musk are friends, which may explain Musk and Grimes’ presence.
Given the ongoing pandemic, people were not thrilled with the seemingly safety-guideline defying stance displayed in the photos:
Rogan attempted to clear up onlinee speculation that Chappelle had contracted COVID-19 from Grimes.
“Because people are asking, I was not exposed to the person who had covid and I have tested negative every day this week,” Rogan wrote in an Instagram post announcing his and Chappelle’s cancelled shows. “Also, the person that gave covid to Dave was NOT Elon’s partner [Grimes].”
Music outlet Consequence of Sound cheekily ribbed Rogan’s response, sarcastically calling out his lack of medical credentials.
Research has found that most people infected with the virus can be contagious for up to 10 days after they show symptoms.
No other celebrity who attended Chappelle’s shows appears to have tested positive so far. We can only hope that their partying didn’t lead to a superspreader event and that, unlike this squad of famous people, the rest of us are following pandemic safety rules better.
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