Tori Spelling's husband defends her $95 virtual meet and greets during pandemic

Beverly Hills, 90210 actress Tori Spelling has come under fire for charging $95 (£77) for virtual meet and greets as people isolate during the coronavirus pandemic.

Following the backlash, which one Twitter user called a “new low”, her husband Dean McDermott took to Instagram to support her and criticise “drag culture.”

Posting a video to Instagram, he said that he had to “come to my wife’s defense again” and added that he was “really disappointed.”

“She’s catching flak and being dragged for doing a live meet and greet. People are upset that, given the current situation we're in in the lockdown and the coronavirus, that she's 'charging' people money to do a meet and greet,” he said, claiming that a company had approached her to partner on the meet and greet.

In a deleted Instagram post published on Monday, Spelling promoted her “first-ever meet and greet” and said there were “only 20 spots available so reserve your spot now.”

According to Us Weekly, it wasn’t immediately clear how much the virtual face to face would cost until fans made it to the website - which revealed it was $95.

She received backlash on the post, with Us Weekly reporting before its deletion that one user wrote, “Damn people are dying, and you still thinking how to gain money from us… what you were and what you became.”

“Of course it's $95 because during a Pandemic we all have that to spare," another wrote

Another also wrote, “I would not pay 95 cents to have a meet n greet with you I'll save my money for a charitable contribution.”

McDermott claimed that his wife was “one of the hardest working women in the business” and that she was only being criticised for trying to make money “because it’s Tori Spelling”.

He added, “She gets dragged, and she gets the haters coming down on her for simply doing something to entertain people. But more important, to provide for her family. What is wrong with that?”

“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 said.

“She's a wonderful person; she's providing for her family. But Tori Spelling always, always gets the haters and gets dragged. And this is the other thing: You know what? It used to cancel culture; now it's drag culture and this has to stop, too.

"You have 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 not drag people who are making millions of dollars doing this?” he continued.

“And how do you know she's not giving part of this to charity?” he asked.

“Everybody's all about love and 'we're all in this together,'" he said. "So, let's be in this together. And if people are making money and making a living—influencing or doing meet and greets or doing videos—let them alone,” he said

"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. But no, because it's Tori Spelling, you think it's OK to do. Well, you know what? I tell you it stops now,” he said.

Some fans have come to Spelling’s defense and in a new post promoting children’s clothing brand Calakids, one wrote, “Sorry to hear people are giving you s*** about the meet and greet. I thought it was an amazing idea. Don't listen to them, they are just haters not happy in their own life.”

Spelling also responded after a user subtly referenced the meet and greet and asked, “I’m not gonna be charged for looking at this pic am I?”

In response, she sent him a prayer emoji and wrote, “Love and light to you.”