The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) spread rapidly from China to other countries around the world. ^{Reference Yang, Shang and Rao1,Reference Bao, Sun and Meng2} Within a few months, it became the most pressing health problem in the world and was recognized by the World Health Organization as a pandemic. ^{Reference Bao, Sun and Meng2,Reference Li, Wang and Xue3} The death toll from this disease is rising every day, affecting all economic, social, and political dimensions of countries. ^{Reference Zangrillo, Beretta and Silvani4,Reference Remuzzi and Remuzzi5}

On February 19, Iran joined the list of countries affected by the disease by recording the first cases. ^{Reference Yoosefi Lebni, Abbas and Moradi6} In total, according to the official statistics of the Ministry of Health of Iran, the number of people with COVID-19 in this country as of September 24 is 436 319, of which 25 015 people have died due to this disease and 367 829 people have been discharged from the hospital after a partial recovery. ⁷

With the spread of COVID-19 in Iran and the beginning of quarantine, people were affected by financial and social problems, and various individuals and groups took actions to help. Celebrities are those who become popular in their social work in a field (such as actors, athletes, etc.). The media can play a vital role in introducing individuals and making them famous as celebrities. ^{Reference Driessens8} These days, celebrities are a kind of social authority for various social groups. Thus, their words, actions, and messages are effective. Celebrities can induce a part of society to follow and copy them, and their messages can influence the behavior of those people. ^{Reference Turner9} Celebrities are one of the most important social groups that can play a significant role in resolving problems in various crises, due to their reputation and social authority, whether good or bad. In recent years, due to the growth of communication technologies, celebrities have been able to play a significant role in various crises, such as floods and earthquakes in Iran. ^{Reference Heidari, Miresmaeeli and Eskandary10,Reference Peyravi and Marzaleh11}

Social media can provide valuable information quickly to large numbers of people about how to stay safe in a public health crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet social media, because it is totally free and its messages are not necessarily vetted by experts, can also spread false information and accusations, panic, and rumors, and thus make the crisis worse. ^{Reference Walter, Brooks, Saucier and Suresh12} As celebrities dominate social media, with their huge numbers of followers who regularly look for their messages, celebrities can make social media more of an asset or more of a problem in a crisis. Previous research has shown that celebrities can have a significant impact on people’s attitudes and beneficial behaviors in a crisis. ^{Reference Brown and Basil13,Reference Francis, Stevens, Noar and Widman14} In fact, the more popular a celebrity is, the more impact they can have on people’s behavior. ^{Reference Kresovich and Noar15}

There has been little research on the impact of celebrities on people’s behavior in the COVID-19 crisis in Iran or elsewhere. However, Mututwa and Matsilele showed that, although celebrities have sometimes published fake news about COVID-19 that have exacerbated the crisis, they can make a positive contribution by raising public awareness and concern. ^{Reference Mututwa16}

Unlike in other countries, where celebrities work formally and through the provision of resources to governmental and non-governmental organizations, in Iran, celebrities work individually and separately from official organizations and charities. It can create tension for them because, on the 1 hand, they are confronted with official institutions and are held accountable by them, and on the other hand, they may not be able to use the collected resources properly due to the lack of knowledge and awareness.