Taylor Lorenz in Twitter feud with ‘Sopranos’ meme account over COVID vaccine

Washington Post internet reporter Taylor Lorenz accused a “Sopranos”-themed meme account on Twitter for promoting “anti-vaxxer COVID denialism” after the operator of the Twitter handle mocked her for having a “no-show job.”

Lorenz, who has more than 355,000 Twitter followers, took umbrage over the weekend at a humorous tweet from the Twitter account known as “Socialist Sopranos Memes.”

The Twitter account, which is run by an operator who goes by the handle @gabagoolmarx, posts memes inspired by characters from the hit HBO crime drama that starred the late James Gandolfini, which aired for six seasons between 1999 and 2007.

The meme targeting Lorenz featured mobster Christopher Moltisanti, who was played by actor Michael Imperioli, having a conversation with his uncle, family boss Tony Soprano.

“She’s called Taylor Lorenz, T,” the caption reads.

“She’s supposed to be a journalist but all she ever does is tell people they’re ableist if they go to a restaurant for some dinner.”

“Think we can get in on some no-show jobs like that?”

Lorenz fired back after being mocked.

“The socialist sopranos meme account has joined the anti vaxxer covid denialist harassment campaign against me today,” she tweeted.

“Very cool and leftist to align yourself with these people.”

The operator of the meme account clapped back, tweeting: “I got the vaccine the moment it was made available to me, actually. April 2021. But this Washington Post ‘Journalist’ likes to make things up about meme accounts, apparently.”

Lorenz then clarified her criticism, accusing the meme account operator of “hopp[ing] in on an anti vaxxer led harassment campaign / pile on” by posting claims that were “indistinguishable from what those far right accounts are saying.”

Lorenz has been a vocal critic of the lifting of COVID lockdown measures and mitigation strategies such as mandatory masking, saying that the relaxation of pandemic-era rules and restrictions places people with pre-existing conditions at increased risk.

In December, Lorenz, who frequently wears masks in public due to her immunocompromised status, raised eyebrows when she posted a tweet that at first glance appeared to be an endorsement of China’s controversial “zero COVID” strategy.

She criticized her own newspaper for an exposé that cast China’s COVID mitigation efforts as a failure in light of the renewed spread of the virus in recent months.

“Choosing not to kill off millions of vulnerable people (as the US is doing) isn’t a ‘critical flaw,’” Lorenz tweeted. She later denied that the tweet was an endorsement of China’s policies.

Since the start of the pandemic in late 2019, China has sought to completely stamp out the virus by using what many consider draconian tactics, including forcibly isolating infected citizens and cordoning off entire towns and cities.

The government in Beijing recently reversed course on its “zero COVID” strategy after it sparked massive, widespread unrest among the population.

Lorenz has often generated controversy with her social media posts.

In November, she called out a Washington Post colleague, columnist Helaine Olen, who criticized radio shock jock and notorious germaphobe Howard Stern for not leaving his apartment.

Lorenz last year also slammed MSNBC for “mishandling” a segment during which she broke down in tears and described suffering from trauma and suicidal thoughts in the face of “abuse” from online critics.