'What is wrong with providing for your family at this time?'
Dean McDermott is defending his wife, Tori Spelling. The 46-year-old actress recently drew criticism for charging fans $95 for a virtual meet and greet, with many expressing disappointment at the price tag amid the coronavirus pandemic.
In response to the backlash, McDermott posted a more than four-minute-long video on Instagram to passionately speak out in support of his wife, whom he wed in 2006.
In the video, McDermott claimed that a company reached out to Spelling with the idea for the paid meet and greets in an effort to "bring some levity and some fun and some humor and love to this situation."
"Instead, because it's Tori Spelling, she gets dragged and she gets the haters coming down on her for simply doing something to entertain people, but more importantly, to provide for her family. What is wrong with that? What is wrong with providing for your family at this time?" McDermott questioned. "All the studios, everything is shut down. She has no way to work like everybody else. She has no job to go to. So, why can she not work from home and do a live meet and greet with fans and give them some light and love and have some fun?"
"There are numerous celebrities out there that post stuff and influencers, and they're out there making money every single day," he added. "But no, let's drag Tori Spelling. Let's give her a hard time."
McDermott went one to call his wife "one of the hardest-working women in the business" and a "wonderful person," before encouraging his followers to "stop dragging people."
"She's simply trying to make a living, trying to provide for her family and provide some entertainment. You want to drag some people? Why don't you go and drag people who are making millions of dollars doing this?" he said. "Everybody reads this and they jump down her throat. How do you know she's not giving part of this to charity?"
The dad of six also pointed out the ways Spelling supports her fans that nobody knows about.
"People don't see my wife spend 20 minutes at a grocery store with a fan or taking a phone call because she's been recognized... Nobody sees all the stuff that she does on her own time, even with her family in tow," he said. "She has time for everybody and all her fans. So stop the dragging. Stop it! It's ridiculous. Let people be. This is a difficult time, and we're all trying to do our best. So let's show a little love and compassion out there, OK?"
McDermott concluded his video by encouraging everybody to "be in this together."
"If people are making money and making a living -- influencing or doing meet and greets or doing videos -- let them alone. Would you go to someone's house who is a computer programmer who's working from home and say, 'Hey, man, why don't you do this for free because of the situation we're in?' No, you wouldn't," he said. "But no, because it's Tori Spelling, you think it's OK to do."
"Well, you know what? I'm here to tell you it stops now! Stop the dragging and get off my wife's back!" McDermott added. "Because we are all in this together with love, and light, and fun, and entertainment, and compassion, and empathy. Stop the dragging now!"
Watch the video below for more on the couple.
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