Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti caught maskless at Super Bowl and offers dubious excuse



Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti faced another firestorm of criticism after he was caught without a mask at the Super Bowl on Sunday, and his office gave a dubious excuse for his pandemic hypocrisy.

Garcetti was among many of the celebrities who were caught without a mask at the game at SoFi Stadium where the Los Angeles Rams took on the Cincinnati Bengals.

The photograph was widely circulated on social media.

LA Mayor @ericgarcetti once again ignoring the mask mandate. That\u2019s the second game in a row (last time he said he was holding his breath), but they are still forcing kids to wear masks every day.pic.twitter.com/PaGRhbye2x
— AG (@AG) 1644799654

On Monday,Garcetti's office released a brief statement denying that he had ignored the distancing guidelines.

"The mayor was wearing his mask the entire game, except when he was eating or drinking," the statement read.

The dubious excuse was similar to that he gave after he was caught without a mask in several photos at the Rams NFC championship game two weeks prior.

"I wore my mask the entire game," claimed Garcetti to reporters at the time.

"When people ask for a photograph, I hold my breath, and I put it here, and people can see that," he added. "There is a zero percent chance of infection from that."

Other celebrities who were caught maskless at the big game included Charlize Theron, LeBron James, Matt Damon, and Sean Penn.

The NFL required spectators at the game to follow local social distancing guidelines, which called on everyone in attendance to wear a mask at all times except when drinking or eating.

"All persons attending indoor and outdoor Mega Events are required to wear masks, regardless of vaccination status, at the event, except while actively eating and drinking in designated areas," read the Los Angeles County Public Health guidelines.

The Rams defeated the Bengals by a score of 23 to 20 and were only the second team in NFL history to win a Super Bowl at their home stadium.

Here's more about Garcetti's excuses:

LA Mayor Eric Garcetti says he holds breath when removing mask for photos | ABC7www.youtube.com

Despite mask mandate for the Super Bowl, numerous celebrities caught maskless at SoFi Stadium



In order to attend Super Bowl LVI, attendees need to wear a face mask at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California. However, photos and videos show numerous celebrities blatantly not wearing masks while enjoying the Super Bowl.

The official NFL website states:

Fans will be required to comply with all LA County COVID-19 health and safety protocols to enter the Super Bowl LVI campus at SoFi Stadium. Updated protocols include, but are not limited to, a mandatory mask requirement INSIDE THE STADIUM for EVERYONE over 2 years of age regardless of vaccination status.

The Los Angeles County Public Health website states:

Mega Events are higher risk for COVID-19 transmission because the attendees are spending long periods of time physically close to large numbers of people they don't usually interact with, thereby increasing the risk that respiratory particles will be transmitted between attendees and participants if someone present is infected. Places that serve food and beverages indoors are also higher risk because persons are indoors for an extended period of time and may remove their masks when they eat or drink. It is strongly recommended that event operators serve food and beverages only in designated dining areas.

The site adds:

All persons attending indoor and outdoor Mega Events are required to wear masks, regardless of vaccination status, at the event, except while actively eating and drinking in designated areas. Attendees must also wear masks at outdoor events when they enter indoor areas, such as restrooms, restaurants, retail shops, concourses, or concession stands, even if the event is not large enough to be considered a Mega Event. Masks must be worn except when customers are actively eating and drinking. When actively eating and drinking indoors or at outdoor Mega Events, customers must be seated or positioned at a table, counter, or other stationary location. “Actively eating or drinking” refers to the limited time during which the mask can be briefly removed to eat or drink, after which it must be immediately put back on. The customer must wear a mask whenever they are not actively eating or drinking, such as when they are waiting to be served, between courses or drinks, or while seated after finishing the food or drink.

Despite the mask mandate, there is no shortage of photos of celebrities not wearing masks while not appearing to be eating or drinking.

The NBC broadcast highlighted celebrities attending the 2022 Super Bowl, which exposed several celebrities not wearing face masks including NBA star LeBron James, basketball legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson, actress Charlize Theron, actor Mark Wahlberg, actor Sean Penn, and actor Matt Damon.

LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Charlize Theron, Mark Wahlberg, Sean Penn and Matt Damon at #SuperBowl LVI in Los Angeles.pic.twitter.com/1GHWppulRQ
— The Recount (@The Recount) 1644793014

Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres shared a photo of her maskless at the Super Bowl.


Democratic Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti – who previously said he held his breath to avoid catching COVID-19 while breaking mask mandates – was reportedly unmasked at the Super Bowl.

Here\u2019s LA\u2019s lying mayor @ericgarcetti not wearing a mask. Again. Will he claim he was holding his breath again?pic.twitter.com/qwjgHNlvrA
— Clay Travis (@Clay Travis) 1644800659

Cincinnati Mayor ⁦Aftab Pureval⁩ was allegedly in SoFi Stadium without a mask.

Cincinnati Mayor \u2066@AftabPureval\u2069 in the house \u2066@SoFiStadium\u2069. He\u2019s sporting a custom \u2066@ImBlaCkOWned\u2069 jacket. He\u2019s Cincinnati\u2019s 70th mayor. #superbowl2022 #bengals \u2066@Enquirer\u2069pic.twitter.com/3wRz75oDre
— Sharon Coolidge (@Sharon Coolidge) 1644794749

Other celebrities seen violating the mask mandate include Kanye West, Drake, The Weekend, Martha Stewart, Tracy Morgan, Justin Bieber, Hailey Baldwin, Draymond Green, Kevin Hart, Adam DeVine, Devin Booker, Issa Rae, and Chris Tucker.