Bryan Adams Apologizes After Blaming ‘Bat Eating Bastards’ For COVID-19

Bryan Adams’ efforts to appease fans with a virtual performance went south after he offered an unsubstantiated take on COVID-19 on Twitter and in the caption of an Instagram video.  

The Grammy winner had been slated to kick off a string of concerts this week at London’s Royal Albert Hall as part of his Shine a Light Tour. Along with a slew of other dates across Europe and North America, those shows have been postponed until next year because of the coronavirus pandemic.  

Adams acknowledged what would have been the first of his London shows Monday with an acoustic version of his 1983 hit, “Cuts Like a Knife.” In the caption of the post, however, he fired off at “fucking bat eating, wet market animal selling, virus making greedy bastards,” who he believes were the original source of the coronavirus. 

“My message to them other than ‘thanks a fucking lot’ is go vegan,” he added. 

Adams’ tweet appears to have since been deleted, but his Instagram post remained public as of Tuesday morning. 

His take, of course, is questionable for a number of reasons. 

Many people believe China’s “wet markets” ― open-air food vendors where animals are typically sold ― to be where the coronavirus made its leap from animals to humans. However, scientists have yet to confirm a connection between COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, and the markets. 

Meanwhile, Adams linking COVID-19 to “virus making greedy bastards” was interpreted as endorsement of a conspiracy theory touted by President Donald Trump implying the coronavirus was manufactured in a Chinese lab. Members of the scientific community, including White House task force expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, have continuously said there’s no evidence that the virus was manmade. 

The backlash to the singer-songwriter’s remarks was intense.  

Amy Go, president of the Chinese Canadian National Council for Social Justice, said she believes Adams’ post could provoke anti-Asian sentiment. In recent weeks, cities across the world have reported a troubling surge in anti-Asian hate crimes and other forms of discrimination related to COVID-19. 

“People look up to public figures. He is seen as an idol by many,” Go told the CBC. “It justifies this racist hatred against Chinese … This is so irresponsible and just so, so, so, so racist.”

Adams responded to the pushback early Tuesday with a second Instagram post in which he apologized.

“No excuse, I just wanted to have a rant about the horrible animal cruelty in these wet-markets being the possible source of the virus, and promote veganism,” he said. “I have love for all people and my thoughts are with everyone dealing with this pandemic around the world.”