Stacey Griffith — the celebrity SoulCycle instructor who cut the line for a COVID vaccine by claiming she was an “educator” — may have apologized for her actions, but a former staffer tells us her behavior isn’t surprising.
“It’s completely in line with Stacey’s character. She operates entirely from a narcissistic standpoint,” said the former staffer. “She has a huge God complex.”
On Friday, Griffith — whose devotees include Madonna and Kelly Ripa — posted on Instagram about getting vaccinated at a Staten Island high school, and told the Daily Beast she qualified since she’s a wellness “educator.” (School teachers are eligible in New York.)
“In my profession of health and wellness as a teacher, it’s my priority daily to keep my community and their respiratory systems operating at full capacity so they can beat this virus if they are infected by it,” she said. “I can only teach to them if I am healthy myself.”
By Monday, she apologized saying she “made a terrible error in judgment.”
SoulCycle seemed to distance itself from the move by telling Page Six in a comment on Tuesday that Griffith “operated in a personal capacity in applying for a NY State COVID-19 vaccine. SoulCycle plays no role in organizing or obtaining vaccinations for instructors or other employees nor do we encourage any of [our] employees to seek vaccine priority as educators.”
The former staffer huffed, “they love to ignore bad behavior from instructors… It’s a culture of bulls–t.”
Either way, the controversy is just the latest to hit the high-end fitness brand. Top instructors have been accused of making racist and homophobic comments on the job, having sex with clients, and fat-shaming co-workers.
SoulCycle has previously commented regarding those incidents that its “core values” are “of diversity, inclusion, acceptance and love. When we receive complaints or allegations related to behavior within our community that does not align to our values, we take those very seriously and both investigate and address them.”
