Singer Omarion has been at the center of online jokes and memes amid the rise of the latest variant of COVID-19, Omicron.
The R&B artist has heard all the jokes about his name compared to this latest variant, and he too seems to be having a bit of fun with it.
“Hi, this is Omarion. I am an artist, not a variant,” he said in a TikTok video posted Saturday. “So please be aware, if you just so happen to run into me on the street, you don’t have to isolate for five days, nor do you have to have a negative test result to dance to my music.”
Omarion continued addressing the joke in two additional videos.
“While it’s important not to touch me and keep your distance, cause you know that’s how it’s supposed to be, you don’t need a negative test to dance to my music,” he says.
The “Post To Be” hitmaker also joked about the issue for a Genius.com video. “I know there has been a lot of confusion online recently, so my lawyers asked me to read this,” he said in the clip. “I, Omarion, am a musician and entertainer — you knew that — not a variant, okay.”
Omarion then recalled his time with the boy band B2K.
“The last time I had to do this was in 2000 when everyone confused Y2K with B2K,” he quips. “That ain’t how it’s supposed to be, but seriously, I want to wish you all a happy and safe new year’s. Peace.”
Meanwhile, medical officials have confirmed that this omicron variant is less severe than the Delta variant.