Comedian Nikki Osborne has voiced her support for Sam Frost, days after the actress shared a troubling video explaining why she didn’t want to get the Covid-19 vaccine.
Nikki, 40, aired her frustrations on Sunday after noticing several fellow comedians were promoting World Mental Health Day online, mere hours after ‘openly trolling’ Sam Frost.
Posting to Instagram Stories, the TV presenter wrote: ‘A lot of comedians banging on about World Mental Health Day after aggressively and openly trolling Sam Frost last night.’
Nikki defends Sam: Nikki Osborne, 40, (left) has called out fellow comedians who ‘banged on about mental health’ on World Mental Health Day – mere hours after ‘aggressively trolling’ Sam Frost, 32, (right) over her vaccine confession
‘Quit virtue signalling. Show some class,’ she added.
Nikki chose not to name the ‘comedians’ mentioned in her post, however.
In her widely-criticised video, Sam tearfully admitted she was unvaccinated, and revealed that her mental health had suffered as a result of the ‘segregation’ between those who are jabbed and the people who refuse.
Frustrated: Posting to Instagram Stories, the TV presenter wrote: ‘A lot of comedians banging on about World Mental Health Day after aggressively and openly trolling Sam Frost last night. Quit virtue signalling. Show some class’
Controversy: Sam’s video, which received widespread criticism, saw the 32-year-old tearfully admit she was unvaccinated, and that her mental health had suffered as a result of the ‘segregation’ between those who are jabbed and people who refuse
Among the many Australians who spoke out against Sam’s video was comedian Em Rusciano, who Tweeted at the time: ‘Watching Sam Frost tearfully speak about ‘segregation’ because she chooses not to get vaccinated and being called ‘brave’ by her followers is taking me to a level of ‘what the f**k’ I didn’t know was possible.’
Fellow comedian Nazeem Hussain also Tweeted: ‘You know what ‘segregates us from each other’? Dying from Covid.’
‘Making yourself a victim for being unvaccinated and a reason the virus keeps killing us, is the new making yourself a victim for being called out for your racism. It’s peak Australia.’
Staying mum: Nikki chose not to name the ‘comedians’ mentioned in her post, however
It is not known whether Em nor Nazeem uploaded subsequent posts promoting World Health Day, however, as any Instagram Stories uploaded on Sunday have since expired.
Sam deactivated her Instagram account on Saturday afternoon, shortly after revealing in an emotional video that she was unvaccinated and her mental health had suffered as a result of other people ‘judging’ her.
The actress, 32, who has played nurse Jasmine Delaney on Home and Away since 2017, called for less judgement towards unvaccinated Australians.
Critics: Among the many Australians who spoke out against Sam’s video were comedians Em Rusciano (left) and Nazeem Hussain (right)
‘I was really hesitant about doing a video or even speaking up about this sort of thing, but I feel like it’s getting to a point now in the world where there’s a lot of segregation,’ she said.
‘There’s a lot of harsh judgement and opinions being thrown around a lot and it’s taking its toll on my mental health for sure, and I know people around me are struggling – particularly if they’re on the side of they don’t want to get vaccinated, for whatever reason.
‘There are lots of different reasons why people are not getting vaccinated and it might be because of their medical history, their concerns, they might have family history, it could be religious reasons.’
Confession: Sam deactivated her Instagram account on Saturday afternoon, after revealing in an emotional video that she was unvaccinated and her mental health had suffered as a result
Sam then said she hadn’t been vaccinated, but claimed she had spoken to her medical doctor as well as a psychologist about her decision.
However, it’s understood she does not have a valid medical exemption.
She added tearfully: ‘It’s a really hard time to be in society right now and you feel like you are less of a human and you feel like people judge you.
Medical advice: Sam (pictured with Ada Nicodemou) said she hadn’t been vaccinated, but claimed she had spoken to her medical doctor as well as a psychologist about her decision. However, it’s understood she does not have a valid medical exemption
‘And you’re too scared to talk about your opinion or your feelings and part of you wants to go, ‘Well, it’s none of your damn business why I’m not! And there’s good reasons why I’m not and I don’t want you to judge me.”
She explained it was important for the unvaccinated to look after their mental health, especially as freedoms return for fully vaccinated Australians.
‘I’m struggling a lot with my mental health and I like to think that I’m pretty on to it. I see a psychologist regularly. So I can’t imagine what it’s like for people who don’t have a support network around them,’ she said.
Words: She admitted that she could ‘get in trouble’ for coming out publicly as unvaccinated, before urging people to treat each other with more kindness and compassion
She also said she could ‘get in trouble’ for coming out publicly as unvaccinated, before urging people to treat each other with more kindness and compassion.
Her video caused a great deal of controversy, mainly because of her use of the word ‘segregation’ when referring to the way society ‘judges’ unvaccinated people.
‘Segregation’ is usually used to describe societies that are divided due to race, religion or sexual orientation.
Backlash: Her video caused a great deal of controversy, mainly because of her use of the word ‘segregation’ when referring to the way society ‘judges’ unvaccinated people
‘Sam Frost, if you want fewer people to judge you and more people to empathise with you – maybe, just maybe don’t use the word ‘segregation’ 30 seconds into your video. This isn’t 1950s Alabama. You ain’t Rosa Parks,’ Tweeted journalist Antoinette Lattouf.
‘It’s not segregation so I would suggest you change your terminology because that is so disrespectful to people who have been segregated because their race, religion, sexual orientation,’ wrote another person on Twitter.
Vaccinations are vital to reducing the spread of preventable diseases, and any suggestion otherwise flies in the face of science and the advice of medical experts around the globe.
The coronavirus vaccine is a safe and vital measure being taken to protect the community from the spread of the virus.
Response: ‘Sam Frost, if you want fewer people to judge you and more people to empathise with you – maybe, just maybe don’t use the word ‘segregation’ 30 seconds into your video. This isn’t 1950s Alabama. You ain’t Rosa Parks,’ Tweeted journalist Antoinette Lattouf