Over the past couple of weeks, many of us have found ourselves with a lot of extra time on our hands. Everyone has adjusted to their new socially distant life in a different way, be it daily at-home workouts and solo walks outside, or watching the entirety of Tiger King in less than 12 hours. It’s called coping, look it up. But even if you’re going crazy at home, you know who’s also going crazy at home? Celebrities. They’re stuck inside too, and even though their houses might be a little (or a lot) nicer than ours, they’re bored too.
Since we all kissed the outside world goodbye, celebrities have been cranking out the quarantine content on social media, to varying degrees of success. We’ve seen an explosion of celebs trying to make TikTok happen, and many of them should just give up. We’ve also seen basically every famous person discover Instagram Live for the first time, and it’s honestly a little overwhelming. But not all IG Live content is created equal, and for every Bachelor alum pretending to have a personality, there’s actually some really great, unique stuff happening. If you need a break from Netflix, here’s what you should be looking out for on Instagram Live.
#TogetherAtHome
One of the first big IG Live trends during this time Global Citizen’s #TogetherAtHome concert series. Each day, top musicians have done live concerts from their homes, and it’s been so fun to see these people perform in such a chill atmosphere. Chris Martin of Coldplay kicked off the series, and since then, we’ve seen sets from dozens of artists, including John Legend, Keith Urban, and Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello (whose relationship contract apparently said they have to quarantine together). There are like, half a dozen concerts happening every day, so you can check Global Citizen’s Instagram for full schedules, plus videos of the ones you missed.
Bright Minded
Miley Cyrus’ whole brand is basically built on positive vibes at this point in her career, so it makes sense that she’s going above and beyond to keep us in good spirits. Last week, she introduced her Bright Minded Talk Show, which is live every day at 2:30 EST. She’s been pulling in A-list guests every day—so far she’s had Demi Lovato, Ellen DeGeneres, and Amy Schumer, just to name a few. Thankfully, she’s also uploading the full show on IGTV every day, so those of us who can’t take an hour out of our work days to watch can still keep up.
Aoki Bootcamp
If scrolling through hundreds of workout class choices is overwhelming to you, why not just do whatever Steve Aoki tells you to do? Every day at 5pm EST, Steve Aoki is going live with a set of brand new music, along with a designated set of workout moves to follow along with. The only downside is that if yesterday’s agenda is any indication, you may need some equipment. I’m no fitness expert, but this certainly sounds hard enough for me:
I haven’t necessarily been in an EDM mood in the last couple weeks, but if you’re missing your club fix and want to get a little toned too, this might be the IG Live scene for you.
Maria Shriver’s Home Together
If you want some hardcore motivation and Miley Cyrus isn’t doing it for you, I recommend trying out Maria Shriver’s daily Home Together interview series. The subtitle of the series is “The Helpers, The Healers, and The Cultivators of Hope,” so you can rest assured you’ll be inspired. Her guests for the rest of the week are Hoda Kotb, Rep. Joe Kennedy III, and Bethenny Frankel, who is literally doing more to solve this crisis than our President. I’m usually not into motivational sh*t, but I might actually have to tune in for that. Home Together airs daily at 5pm EST.
Friday Night Shakedown
Do you miss going out? Tbh, I’m loving this extra sleep I’m getting, but if you want to pretend you’re getting turnt in public, you should make plans to ~virtually attend~ Big Freedia’s Friday Night Shakedown at 9pm EST. If you’re unfamiliar, Big Freedia is the queen of New Orleans bounce music, and her beats are magical. You probably recognize her from her collabs with artists like Beyoncé and Drake, and I have no doubt that her IG Live party will be one for the ages.
Hobby Time With Melissa Villaseñor
If you’re down to laugh, and also down to try some new hobbies, check out SNL star Melissa Villaseñor’s show Hobby Time. As you can see in the post above, she’s scheduled a different hobby to explore every day at 2pm EST, and they range from normal things like “drawing” to Tuesday’s “Owen Wilson meditation.” Melissa’s Owen Wilson impression is actually incredible, so I’m very sad I missed this. She’s also bringing on special guests (including other SNL people), so this could make for a fun afternoon break.
There’s so much new and creative content happening on Instagram Live right now, but these are some of my favorites. If you like watching Real Housewives struggle to understand questions from fans, that’s fun too, but these shows are all really inventive ways to make the most of this time. It won’t last forever, so we might as well enjoy it however we can!
Images: Erik Lucatero / Unsplash; glblctzn, mileycyrus, steveaoki, mariashriver, bigfreedia, melissavcomedy / Instagram
