While the photo was likely meant in good fun, fans did not take the joke lightly, with many branding Aniston as insensitive and tone-deaf for the Instagram story. However, social media was divided and some fans came to her defense, focusing on Aniston’s advocacy of mask wearing and support of small businesses throughout the pandemic.
One Twitter user suggested that the photo was meant to cope with humor, and another noted that many people have gone to parties and done other questionable activities during the pandemic, and Aniston should not be ‘cancelled’ for something as trivial as a photo of an ornament.
Aniston has yet to speak out about the drama, and it’s unclear if she will feel the need to. Cancel culture has run rampant this year with people being demonized at every turn for even the smallest public mistakes. While the ornament may have been in poor taste, it’s unlikely that Aniston meant any harm with her Christmas ornament.
The pandemic has had a large reaching impact this year, and everyone has dealt with the struggles in their own ways. At the end of the day, the world has much bigger problems to focus on than Jennifer Aniston posting a pandemic ornament on her Instagram story, but this public outcry is a reminder that not even America’s favorite Friend is safe from cancel culture.