Megan Fox Skips Movie Premiere Over Covid Concerns as LA Cases Rise

Megan Fox was originally slated to appear for her latest movie premiere in Los Angeles, but the "Midnight in the Switchgrass" star opted out at the last minute, citing Covid concerns.

In a statement released to the press, representatives for Fox confirmed that the actress would not be in attendance. "Due to the recent California mask mandate and rise of COVID cases, Megan Fox will no longer be attending the premiere tonight," the statement read. "We appreciate your understanding."

The event took place at Regal LA Live in downtown Los Angeles. While the hour-long red carpet event Monday evening was outdoors, it was followed by an indoor screening of the film itself, per Variety.

Cast-members Emile Hirsch, Lukas Haas, Caitlin Carmichael, Sistine Stallone and Olive Abercrombie were in attendance, as was director Randall Emmett. Bruce Willis also stars, but was not expected to attend.

Even before it's release, perhaps the most famous thing to come out of the film was the burgeoning romance between Fox and co-star Colson Baker, better known as musician Machine Gun Kelly.

Even by Friday, things were again changing as reporters and photographers received word they would not be allowed to cover the after-party for the event.

A new mask policy went into affect overnight on Saturday in Los Angeles County, mandating masks indoors "regardless of vaccination status." This comes on the heels of a dramatic spike in Covid cases and hospitalizations.

According to KTLA out of Los Angeles, the county has seen Covid test positivity up by ten-fold since the country full reopened June 15. Test positivity spiked from 0.4 percent to 4.1 percent on Monday, with coronavirus cases up 700 percent since that date.

This is in large part due to the newer delta variant of the virus, which is now the predominant version of Covid in the United States and has a significantly higher transmissibility rate.

Fox isn't the only one to bail in response to rising Covid rates, either. Variety further reports that Roadside Attractions canceled Friday's "Joe Bell" screening entirely, while a "Ted Lasso" Q&A scheduled for Saturday was postponed.

"Midnight in the Switchgrass" is set to premiere in theaters and digitally this Friday, July 23.