Kristen Doute’s fiancé Luke Broderick sparked a debate after sharing an Instagram post questioning the development of the COVID-19 vaccine. He later described the post as a “social study,” while Zack Wickham pushed back against what he called “conspiracy theories” surrounding vaccines.
Luke Broderick calls COVID vaccine criticism a ‘social study’ as Zack Wickham pushes back on conspiracy theories
Luke Broderick shared a post on his Instagram account questioning the development of the COVID-19 vaccine. The post read, “No ‘vax’ for HIV after 40 years of research … No vax for cancer after more than 100 years of research … No vax for the common cold … and yet a virus mysteriously appears [and] within 12 months a ‘vax’ is found by four pharma companies all within [one] week [and] we are mandated to take it.”
Wickham responded by sharing a picture of himself confirming that he had received a COVID-19 vaccine. He also pushed back against what he described as “conspiracy theories” surrounding vaccines.
Meanwhile, Kristen Doute responded to a comment on a thread asking about her support for MAGA and the Trump administration. She said, “talk about fucking rage bait bullshit ?.”
Broderick also included the hashtag “ragebait” with his post. After receiving DMs, he addressed the backlash, saying, “I truly hope that some of these story posts upset people to the point of sending hate messages. This is acknowledgement of the social study I just conducted … and you just might have earned a gold star” (via Reality Blurb).
His remarks indicated that provoking a reaction was part of how he characterized the purpose of his posts, which he described as a “social study.”
Hours later, Wickham shared his own post on Instagram. He wrote, “Got my flu and COVID vaccine shot today at the [Aids Walk LA]. It’s because of years of extensive research on HIV that we had the technology and swiftness to combat COVID. Science is real. Vaccines save lives. Conspiracy theories and gotcha posts that aren’t fact-based put lives at risk.”
Wickham also argued that research into HIV contributed to the scientific knowledge used in developing COVID-19 vaccines. Meanwhile, he criticized what he characterized as conspiracy theories and “gotcha posts.”
