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Late last week, a video of 20-year-old Wednesday and Scream actress Jenna Ortega that showed her smoking a cigarette went viral on social media.
One tweet of the video, which was captioned “WTF JENNA SMOKES? NOOO” has more than 40 million views. It launched a weekend of discourse about cigarette smoking being seen as gross and uncool by younger generations.
The video also led to commentary about vaping. “it’s really funny to me that everyone is pissed at jenna ortega for smoking a cigarette when what feels like 90% of our generation vapes,” one Twitter user wrote.
But maybe the funniest development in this whole saga is Jenna’s mom entering the chat. Jenna’s mom, Natalie Lopez Ortega, is a nurse who routinely posts about her family on her Instagram page. She has posted Jenna’s magazine covers and red carpet looks. But now she apparently has something to say about her daughter smoking cigarettes.
She posted a series of Instagram Stories about lung cancer and smoking. One Story even included an image of Gollum from Lord of the Rings. Another included a quote about being a mom and always worrying about your children.
“My mom would do the same tbh,” one TikToker said in response to the Instagram Stories.
Why it matters
There are many celebrities who smoke cigarettes. And several paparazzi images of celebrities smoking become memes—just look at Ben Affleck, whose smoking photos are often celebrated. So why is a video of Jenna Ortega having a cigarette a big deal to her fans?
Cigarettes are not as prevalent in American culture as they once were, and marijuana is now legal in 23 states. Nicotine carries a negative connotation. But beyond that, Jenna’s quick rise to fame following the popularity of Wednesday made her a target of online scrutiny.
