Nick Grimshaw has sparked fury online after tweeting his friend Harry Styles to say he ‘can’t come to Brazil‘ following the news the singer’s tour has been postponed in South America.
Although the Radio 1 DJ, 36, did not reference coronavirus in his tweet, many of Harry’s following took offence to the message about Brazil, due to the high death rate of Covid-19 in the country.
Harry announced on Tuesday that he will again be postponing certain dates of his Fine Line world music tour due to health and safety concerns for his fans and crew members.
He posted on Twitter: ‘Everyone’s health and safety remains our top priority, which is why I unfortunately have to postpone all 2020 shows in South America, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand until further notice.’
Criticism: Nick Grimshaw has sparked fury online after tweeting his friend Harry Styles to say he ‘can’t come to Brazil’ following the news the singer’s tour has been postponed in South America
Nick replied to his post, saying: ‘Can’t come to Brazil.’
Some Twitter users said that it seemed like Nick was poking fun at Harry’s fans who regularly tweet him to say ‘come to Brazil’.
This didn’t go down well with his fans who claimed his comment was insensitive due to the high rate of coronavirus deaths and millions of cases in the country.
Unhappy: Although the Radio 1 DJ, 36, did not reference coronavirus in his tweet, many of Harry’s following took offence to the message about Brazil, due to the high death rate of Covid-19 in the country
He posted on Twitter: ‘Everyone’s health and safety remains our top priority, which is why I unfortunately have to postpone all 2020 shows in South America, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand until further notice’
One person said: ‘So no one is gonna realise he’s making a joke of the ppl who constantly say ‘come to brazil’? why would he make a joke about brazil’s current situation??’
Last week Brazil became the second country to reach four million cases of coronavirus amid hopes that infections are starting to slow.
The rise of 43,773 cases brought the total to 4.04million, while another 834 fatalities took the death toll to more than 124,000.
On hold: Harry announced on Tuesday that he will again be postponing certain dates of his Fine Line world music tour due to health and safety concerns for his fans and crew members
The average has recently risen above 40,000 again and medical specialists say the improvement is ‘very timid’.
Brazil confirmed its first case of the virus on February 26, a Sao Paulo businessman returning from a trip to Italy. It recorded its first death on March 16.
One furious fan tweeted Nick to say: ‘Happy to know our country is so important that you remembered us first, but maybe you should worry about that second wave hitting the UK.
Nick replied to his post, saying: ‘Can’t come to Brazil’
‘This situation IS NOT FUNNY, or one to make jokes about.’
A different Twitter user wrote: ‘Wow that’s so funny hahaha it’s not as if Brazilian people are dying, right? Oh wait.’
A third said: ‘Sure, but let him go to the United States for concerts and movies when the situation there is also out of control and there are no signs of the virus actually slowing down.
‘There’s no difference, we’re all suffering and trying our best to get through this.’
Reaction: Some Twitter users said that it seemed like Nick was poking fun at Harry’s fans who regularly tweet him to say ‘come to Brazil’
Furious: This didn’t go down well with his fans who claimed his comment was insensitive due to the high rate of coronavirus deaths and millions of cases in the country
Another person also referenced America and said: ‘The US is experiencing a lot of protests about racism and practically has an internal war, but everyone prefers to close their eyes and joke about a poor country. Urgh.’
A different person penned: ‘That was not funny. Not amused. Not a laugh. Not a chuckle. Not a Haha or even a hehe. That was not funny at all. I would be embarrassed if I were you.
‘You need a tutor on comedy and on humor cuz this just ain’t it. It was terrible. It was horrible.’
One person said: ‘Nick I love you but this is disrespectful for the people in Brazil who are dealing with many problems, as well as most of Latin America.’
Another said: ‘It surprises me to see you saying ‘can’t come to brazil’ when USA still has the worst numbers, but nobody wants to cancel shows there, right??
‘Sorry but I don’t accept jokes about my country when we suffer more than ALL of you, with political and financial crises.’
MailOnline have contacted Nick Grimshaw’s representative for comment
One person said: ‘Nick I love you but this is disrespectful for the people in Brazil who are dealing with many problems, as well as most of Latin America’