It turns out that the complaints lodged by seven former stars who are suing My 600-lb Life are just part of what’s wrong with the show.
The show’s production company is accused of flagrantly violating stay-at-home orders across multiple states in order to continue filming.
The Hollywood Reporter was the first to report that Megalomedia had finally stopped filming for My 600-lb Life Season 9 and Where Are They Now.
While bringing filming to a halt was good, it appears to have come too late.
According to various sources, production was seen as ongoing as late as March 27 — just over a week ago.
By this point, lockdown orders had begun in many states, with countless more Americans social distancing and working from home.
The filming allegedly carried on that long in at least three states — Florida, Mississippi, and Texas.
Sources expressed concerns over "the number of of crewmembers required to shoot the show and the rigors of production."
The very valid worry was that continuing to film might "put the show’s subjects, many of whom are already particularly vulnerable, at increased risk."
As we are all very aware, people who already struggle with health problems are at increased risk for COVID-19.
Now, Texas did not issue a statewide stay-at-home order until April 2.
But, as happened in many states, counties placed such lockdown orders ahead of the statewide directive.
Harris County, where most of Houston resides, had already issued a lockdown order before filming reportedly came to a halt.
Besides, many believe in a radical notion: that a company should not require legal orders to protect their employees.
Sources additionally revealed that at one point, production could not film one of the stars.
This was because, per the report, the "hospital was on lockdown and was not letting the crew in to film.”
Allegedly, at least one cast member was instructed “not to mention the virus during filming.”
Another star reportedly expressed to producers that they were “feeling anxious about the coronavirus." Aren’t we all.
Some may roll their eyes at this report of shady behavior and suggest that it’s just how show business works.
For comparison, let’s look at 90 Day Fiance, produced by Sharp Entertainment.
That show announced weeks ago that they would not be filming a Tell All to the current season in light of the pandemic.
Additionally, they opted to create a spinoff: 90 Day Fiance: Self-Quarantined, in which the stars safely and responsibly record themselves at home.
Long-running franchise The Real Housewives also put production on pause weeks ago.
The Housewives themselves took to social media to emphasize and even illustrate their self-isolation and social distancing strategies.
We do not know the exact date that The Real Housewives of Orange County paused filming.
But the present and former stars of that show were discussing the virus in serious tones nearly two weeks before Megalomedia allegedly halted production.
Interestingly, the accusation that the production company prioritized filming over the safety and well-being of its stars is not surprising.
That would be consistent with the allegations in the flurry of lawsuits, accusing production of endangering their stars.
In particular, Megalomedia is accused in the array of suits of failing to live up to promises made to stars, including getting them adequate therapy.
We would hate to believe that a production company would care so little about its stars, producers, or film crew.
