Daniel Newman. (Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images)
Daniel Newman was slammed Friday evening (September 4) after tweeting that he was at a “private island” with tens of other muscular, maskless men.
The since-deleted social media post came only hours after the bisexual Walking Dead star said that if “you have depth, your ‘clique’ or ‘tribe’ will almost never look like you”, prompting scores of Twitter users to accuse the 39-year-old of, they said, “hypocrisy”.
Newman uploaded onto his social media channels that he was visiting a “private island” in which all island-goers have “tested negative multiple times”. He ended his tweet imploring his 911,000 followers to: “Wear a mask.”
just delete your account dude pic.twitter.com/301ynar3Z1
— tired 🤠 (@attemptingbutch) September 5, 2020
The American actor has emerged in recent months as an outspoken critic of US President Donald Trump, blasting the Trump administration’s bungled handling of the unfolding pandemic after he himself struggled to be tested for the novel virus despite exhibiting a rash of symptoms.
Daniel Newman defends photo by saying: ‘My ex’s are Black, Latin and Asian’.
In the accompanying photograph, which was one of several pictures and videos he uploaded before deleting, it showed Newman nestled with more than 25 other people – none wearing masks or socially distancing, and the majority being toned white men.
The “private island”, according to video footage uploaded by those also in the group, is Tulum, a municipality in Mexico, with the group shot taken at the Papaya Playa Project, a boutique hotel complex.
Tulum is very much not a private island? pic.twitter.com/Nqr20Y3D8t
— connor (@connor_rooks) September 5, 2020
Newman joked that the group is “white as f*ck”, and added: “You all know my ex’s are Black, Latin and Asian, I love ALL flavours and sizes!
“And my family is half Black. We got a diverse group but, unfortunately, the brothas invited and other girlfriends invited had to work and didn’t come this time.
“Missin’ ’em!” he said.
Just hours before, Newman sent out a tweet in which he decried friendship groups in which people look vastly identical to one another. “Don’t sweat it when your peers reject you,” he said, screenshots showed.
“Close your eyes and look for people with the same goals and interests, not the same body type (skin, colour, body type, ethnicity, gender, sexuality) #diversity.”
The string of tweets needled many LGBT+ people, who upbraided Newman for his “white as f*ck” gathering coming mere moments after rallying for people to diversify their social circles.
I have questions other than the obvious!! How do you go on vacation with so many gays! Why does everyone have abs! who is the single lone woman!! how does one go to a private island!! who took the picture! pic.twitter.com/XCwGHmYLdd
— Daniel Preda (@MisterPreda) September 5, 2020
“the brothas” is taking me outtttttt lmfaoooo https://t.co/ZCvu92vvrY
— ryan mitchell (@TheSlayGawd) September 5, 2020
A fun fact about me: I spiritually identify with the one woman on this private island.
— MKB (@MatthewKBegbie) September 5, 2020
Not even five hours apart pic.twitter.com/9JrUSA1TDH
— Zach Frank (@Zach__Frank) September 5, 2020
There’s a lesson in here somewhere about diversity vs inclusion vs equity pic.twitter.com/GzPZINkerS
— The Gay Burn Book (@SouthernHomo) September 5, 2020
Dan. The fuck is this shit? pic.twitter.com/XfHzoiqj2R
— conventionally attractive white gay (@WhiteGay8) September 5, 2020
This is exactly what I mean by performative nature of people online lmfaoooooo https://t.co/u0B9ZKjv8b
— Vaneet Mehta #20ThemTy 🌺 (@nintendomad888) September 5, 2020