Singer Bryan Adams faces backlash over COVID-19 social media posts

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Bryan Adams performs on August 24, 2019 in Water Mill, New York. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

Canadian singer Bryan Adams is facing backlash over social media posts on the novel coronavirus that some critics are calling racist.

On Twitter and Instagram, Adams blamed the global pandemic on "(expletive) bat eating, wet market animal selling, virus making greedy bastards."

He said his message to those people is to "go vegan," which is a diet he's had for decades.

Adams also decried the impact of the virus on the world, noting the cancellation of a series of shows he was set to play in England.

The tweet appears to have since been deleted while the Instagram post was still up this morning, though it seems comments have been closed.

Many on social media condemned Adams's comments as racist, saying he was contributing to anti-Chinese rhetoric surrounding the virus.

Others accused the rocker of losing sight of the true victims of a pandemic that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives worldwide.

"It is not my intention to 'go at' or 'cancel' anyone, but to identify posts like this that condone and enable acts of hate and racism. It runs counter to everything I love about Canada," Chinese-Canadian actor Simu Liu wrote on Twitter.

"I hope Bryan does better for the millions who look up to him like I do. #BummerOf69."

Liu — star of CBC's "Kim's Convenience" and Marvel's upcoming film "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" — added that he doesn't think it was Adams' "intention to promote xenophobia."

"And I know this virus has made everyone a little testy," he wrote. "I hope we can use this as an opportunity to channel positivity instead. Let's support those on the front lines. Let’s HELP."

Inuit throat singer and author Tanya Tagaq tweeted: "Bryan Adams can suck my bat."

Adams' comments come amid Asian and South Asian Heritage Month, which Liu is trying to promote on social media by spotlighting the works of notable Asian Canadians.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on May 12, 2020.