'Have some respect': Pete Evans slammed for coronavirus post

Celebrity chef Pete Evans has been slammed online after sharing a controversial post about the coronavirus - which has now claimed more than 500,000 lives globally.

The former My Kitchen Rules star has been called out for claiming the COVID-19 pandemic isn’t as bad as it is being made out to be, despite the rising death toll.

Pete posted a meme comparing a T-Rex dinosaur from Jurassic Park to the cuddly children’s character Barney the dinosaur, with the words: “Covid according to the media vs Covid in real life.” He also added a love heart and rainbow emoji in the caption.

Global deaths from the virus has now reached over 500,000, according to the John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Centre, with many people online calling on the reality star to ‘have some respect’ for the many that have lost family members and loved ones to the outbreak.

“I must have missed the episode where Barney killed more than 500,000 people around the world,” one person wrote on Twitter.

“So this is what ‘Chef Pete Evans’ aka Polio Pete thinks of the 500k humans who lost their lives due to COVID-19, let alone their families and those still suffering... what a piece of garbage human he is,” was another outraged tweet.

“Thousands of people have died – have some respect,” another commented on the post.

While a fourth said: “I don't know if people who have lost loved ones to covid would think this.”

Pete was however still praised by many of his followers for telling the “truth” about the deadly virus.

“Keep up the good work,” one fan wrote.

It’s not the first time Pete Evans has been called out for airing his conspiracy theories on the virus.

Channel Nine was recently slammed for airing a segment with the chef

Pete’s supporters encouraged others to watch with an open mind, while others argued ‘mainstream media’ would spin the interview against the chef.

“Pete is exposing the truth,” many wrote.

On Twitter, however, the reaction was vastly different, with many slamming Pete and even the show for giving him a platform at all.

“How DARE 60 Minutes share dangerous, ignorant viewpoints that absolutely will put people's lives AT RISK for a few cheap views,” one woman wrote.

“Delete & do not air this harmful bullsh*t.”

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