Actress Kirstie Alley and CNN mixed it up on social media Friday over coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.
Alley claimed on Twitter that friends of hers are in "SHEER TERROR" of catching COVID-19. She believes they get that from watching the cable news network.
"I decided to watch CNN myself to get a [sic] their viewpoint and oh my God DID I EVER!!!!," Alley tweeted. "IF YOU TOO WANT TO LIVE IN TERROR WATCH CNN!! FEAR OF DYING IS THEIR MANTRA! OMG!"
CNN's public relations team responded, taking a jab at one of Alley's sitcoms.
"Kirstie, you are welcome to change the channel - just like countless viewers did every time 'Veronica’s Closet' came on TV. But don’t downplay the loss of nearly 230K American lives. And please, wear a mask," CNN tweeted.
"Veronica's Closet" lasted three seasons on NBC from 1997-2000. It was initially a ratings hit, but lost viewership later in the first season. Ratings plummeted by the third season and the show was canceled.
The Hill reports CNN saw a 98% increase in total viewers in October 2020 compared to October 2019. But it trailed Fox News and MSNBC, respectively, which also saw increases over this time last year. The month had significant news to cover with a presidential and vice presidential debate, President Donald Trump contracting COVID-19, a significant rise in coronavirus cases nationwide and the push to quickly confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The U.S. on Friday became the first country to pass 9 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began, according to Johns Hopkins University. It comes as many states are reporting record numbers of cases daily during this fall surge. The U.S. also has nearly 230,000 COVID-19 deaths which also leads the world. The COVID Tracking Project said Friday almost 47,000 people were hospitalized with the virus, with 9,400 in intensive care and nearly 2,500 on ventilators.
