Matthew McConaughey is looking to clarify his position on vaccinating children against COVID-19 after facing criticism for revealing he's "not vaccinating mine" yet.
The actor, who has floated a run for governor of Texas, told The New York Times this week he's not yet in favor of mandating COVID-19 vaccines for younger children and that "right now, I'm not vaccinating mine" because "I still want to find out more information." After his quote sparked backlash, McConaughey criticized media coverage of the comments on Instagram and clarified he was specifically talking about mandating vaccines for children between the ages of five and 11. McConaughey also said his oldest son has been vaccinated against COVID-19.
"What is not true, and insinuated with the click bait headlines since, is that I am against vaccinating kids at all," McConaughey wrote. "This is false. In fact, our eldest 13 year old son Levi is fully vaccinated for COVID-19."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
McConaughey quickly faced criticism for his original comments, with The Atlantic's Norman Ornstein labeling him an "absolute idiot" and epidemiology assistant professor Dr. Ellie Murray writing, "Personally, I am coming out against Matthew McConaughey, now." The comments even drew a response from U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy.
"The vaccines have shown in these trials for children 5 through 11 they are more at 90 percent effective in protecting our kids from symptomatic infection, and they are remarkably safe, as well," he told CNN. "...So please consider strongly getting your children vaccinated."
-
The Icelandic women’s strike 50 years onIn The Spotlight The nation is ‘still no paradise’ for women, say campaigners
-
Mall World: why are people dreaming about a shopping centre?Under The Radar Thousands of strangers are dreaming about the same thing and no one sure why
-
Why scientists are attempting nuclear fusionThe Explainer Harnessing the reaction that powers the stars could offer a potentially unlimited source of carbon-free energy, and the race is hotting up
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
