Gal Gadot's Comments On This Controversial Video Are Turning Heads

In March 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic raging and millions of people all over the world stuck at home due to strict lockdowns, some of the biggest stars in the world took to Instagram to do a cover of John Lennon's "Imagine."

At the time, Slate described the video, shared by "Wonder Woman" star Gal Gadot, as "one of the worst things to have ever happened." The point of the project, which included A-listers such as Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, and Will Ferrell, was frustratingly unclear. 

As Deadline quipped, watching the video was somehow actually worse than being forced to stay inside for months on end, and social media swiftly tore it apart. 

Gadot claimed to be "feeling philosophical" about the pandemic, but commenters quickly pointed out, among other things, the hypocrisy of "rich famous people singing 'imagine no possessions' in their mortgage free homes as the rest of society queue at Lidl for broken biscuits."

In a 2020 interview with Vanity Fair, Gadot defended the tone-deaf stunt. "I had nothing but good intentions and it came from the best place, and I just wanted to send light and love to the world," she said. 

Now, however, the "Wonder Woman" star is reconsidering her position.

It's safe to assume that Gal Gadot will be fielding questions about the infamous "Imagine" cover for the rest of her career. So, it's unsurprising that, in her latest InStyle profile, the topic comes up once more. 

After almost two years of self-reflection, the actor finally understands why the backlash was so intense. 

"The pandemic was in Europe and Israel before it came here [to the U.S.] in the same way," she explained. "I was seeing where everything was headed. But [the video] was premature. It wasn't the right timing, and it wasn't the right thing. It was in poor taste."

Gadot previously poked fun at the stunt during Elle's 2021 Women in Hollywood event, jokingly singing the beginning of "Imagine" when she took the stage to accept an award (via YouTube). The "Wonder Woman" star told InStyle she hoped that particular gesture helped soften the blow. "It just felt right, and I don't take myself too seriously," she said.

Gadot maintained that her intentions with the video were "pure" but acknowledged she "wanted to take the air out of it," presumably because the reaction was so negative.

At the time, The New York Times described the "Imagine" video as "an empty and profoundly awkward gesture," while NBC News proclaimed it to be "peak cringe" and GQ writer Sophia Benoit pointed out that the celebrities involved could've donated some of their combined $17 million fortunes rather than wasting everybody's time (via Twitter).