Broadway Stars Slam Actor Chad Kimball for Saying He'll Disobey COVID-19 Safety Orders
The Broadway community is slamming Tony-nominated actor Chad Kimball for saying that he will disobey the governor’s orders for COVID-19 safety.
Washington’s Governor Inslee just announced restrictions on religious services.
“Religious services will be limited to whichever is smaller: 25% occupancy indoors or fewer than 200 people. Choirs, bands, and ensembles won’t perform during services, but soloists will be able to. Facial coverings will be required for congregation members, who won’t be allowed to sing,” the governor’s office announced.
Chad wrote on Twitter, “Respectfully, I will never allow a Governor, or anyone, to stop me from SINGING, let alone sing in worship to my God. Folks, absolute POWER corrupts ABSOLUTELY. This is not about safety. It’s about POWER. I will respectfully disobey these unlawful orders.”
For those that don’t know, Chad had his breakout role on Broadway while playing a cow in Into the Woods. He later received a Tony nomination for the show Memphis and most recently was starring in the Tony-winning musical Come From Away until the Broadway shutdown.
Chad was one of many Broadway actors who tested positive for coronavirus back in March, right when the pandemic was hitting New York City badly. Broadway shows have been shut down since March 12, 2020 and they will be closed until at least May 30, 2021. There’s still a chance the shows will go dark even longer than that.
Members of the Broadway community, including many well-known stars, are calling out Chad for supporting a dangerous view of the COVID-19 pandemic. The community is working hard to make sure we can end the pandemic and people in the live theater industry can safely go back to work after months and months of hardship.
Sharon Wheatley, who was in the original Broadway cast of Come From Away with Chad, tweeted, “I respectfully totally and completely disagree with you. I respectfully feel you are very much on the wrong side of this. I FaceTimed with you when you had Covid, Chad. You were very sick. I remember. It scared me. I love you like a brother, but I disagree with you. ♥️”
Tony nominee Eva Noblezada, married Broadway stars Patti Murin and Colin Donnell, Billy Eichner, and many more have called Chad out on Twitter.
Read all of the tweets below. While some of them didn’t name Chad directly or reply directly to his tweet, they seemingly are all about the actor.
I respectfully totally and completely disagree with you. I respectfully feel you are very much on the wrong side of this.
I FaceTimed with you when you had Covid, Chad. You were very sick. I remember. It scared me.
I love you like a brother, but I disagree with you. ♥️— sharon wheatley (@sswheatley) November 15, 2020
Click inside to read tons of reactions from Broadway stars…
No one said you can’t sing. You can sing. Alone. In your own home. Possibly for the rest of your life, after this tweet. https://t.co/CHMznO5dZc
— Patti Murin (@PattiMurin) November 16, 2020
Tried to think of something clever to say but just got more and more angry.
246,000+ dead
Entire industries shut down, including the one you’re in.
A medical community full of people putting their lives on the line to take care of others, including you.This is fucking moronic https://t.co/uxNVJxNjLf
— COLIN DONNELL (@colindonnell) November 16, 2020
Please be safe. This sounds really scary.
— Iain Armitage (@IainLoveTheatre) November 16, 2020
It’s the SINGING in all caps for me!!! 🤣🤣🤣 https://t.co/wwhUlgUqTy
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) November 16, 2020
👀 if you guys need something to read while you sip on your nightly alcohol, ta da https://t.co/yprTufh6RK
— livevamaria (@EvaNoblezada) November 16, 2020
Honestly though…nobody wants to hear those pinched tones anyway….
— Colin Patrick Hanlon (@ColinHanlon) November 16, 2020
The ones who quote the Bible most seem to be the ones who follow its teachings the least. This is not about you and your need to sing your praise songs. I’m almost certain selfishness is frowned upon in that big book of yours. Wear a mask. Take care of your fellow humans.
— Kazee He/Him (@SteveKazee) November 16, 2020
When the music director takes away your solo. pic.twitter.com/V4cqziFJSz
— Gideon Glick (@gidglick) November 16, 2020
— Neil Haskell (@NeilHaskell) November 16, 2020
It really doesn’t seem like too much to ask that when you go to gatherings of up to TWO HUNDRED PEOPLE you refrain from using your well-trained diaphragm to aerosol spray everyone around you with Covid.
— Jarrod Spector (@jarrodspector) November 16, 2020
Chad, you sound a lot like the Republican councilman I heard say “I WILL have a huge family Thanksgiving! Government can’t tell me how many people I have in my house.” Its ignorant. It’s arrogant. It’s selfish. It lacks ALL empathy for other humans except yourself. Unacceptable.
— Julie Reiber Bennett (@juliereiber) November 16, 2020
Much like his vocal cords, this won’t age well. https://t.co/BPky1kDrWH
— ellyn marsh (@ellynmarsh) November 16, 2020
Chad, I know I don’t know you well, but I am compelled to respond to this- this is NOT about power or tyranny. This is very much about looking out for your fellow man. This is about sacrificing things temporarily for the good of all. No one is stopping you from
— John Tartaglia (@johnnytartags) November 15, 2020
Loving your God & celebrating how you wish at home. But church is a gathering & gatherings spread this deadly disease. Just the same as theatre & group fitness etc must be paused, church singing, too.
— John Tartaglia (@johnnytartags) November 15, 2020
There’s no power to be gained here by anyone. I’m not sure why you’re viewing it that way. This is a worldwide issue- governments of all kinds across the globe are dealing with this. You have a lot of influence. Please rethink this post- you may save some lives in the process.
— John Tartaglia (@johnnytartags) November 15, 2020
— Jessica Vosk (@JessicaVosk) November 15, 2020
Dude…This isn’t respectful at all really.
— Marty Thomas (@martythomasbway) November 15, 2020
Sing. In. The. Shower. GOD WILL HEAR YOU. I PROMISE. This is wreckless, dangerous & irresponsible to people who support you. https://t.co/S7qfxXNFsW
— Marissa Rosen (@TheMarissaRosen) November 15, 2020
Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong. Chad this is an ass backwards statement, respectfully. https://t.co/2bEKwV683B
— Drew Gasparini (@DrewGasparini) November 16, 2020
No, brother. Respectfully, I have to disagree. You had Covid, our industry is in shambles with no sign to come back anytime soon, we’ve all been unemployed for 8 months and have lost so much. I’m pretty sure after 250,000 deaths God wants you to save lives. Sing to him from home.
— Mauricio Martínez (@martinezmau) November 16, 2020
Yikes. I bet God would rather you and the congregation stay safe than to spread a deadly virus to one another. My church has been doing zooms since March and the choir gathers virtually and sings and it is beautiful. This isn’t about taking away freedom it’s about health
— Marti 2021 (@MartiGCummings) November 16, 2020
You had COVID and recovered. So now you take no responsibility in helping others not get sick – even if they die. Is it 'love thy neighbor' or 'screw thy neighbor'? No one is going to tell you not to do your part to prevent sickness and death – you wanna sing! Very Godly.
— Bobby Pearce (@bobbypearce) November 16, 2020