Entertainer John Legend was hit with a social-media backlash after advising the residents of Springfield, Ohio, to embrace the thousands of newly arrived Haitian immigrants — from his mansion in Beverly Hills.

The Grammy- and Oscar-winning singer and songwriter, who was born John Stephens in Springfield, said in a video posted Thursday on Instagram that residents need to be more accommodating to the estimated 15,000 to 20,000 Haitians who have arrived in the community of 60,000 in recent years.

“Nobody’s eating cats. Nobody’s eating dogs. We all just want to live and flourish and raise our families in a healthy and safe environment,” said Mr. Legend, whose comments were reprinted in the Columbus Dispatch.

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The lecture from the singer worth an estimated $100 million came with the town’s infrastructure overwhelmed by the influx of Haitians under the Temporary Protected Status program, leading to crowded classrooms, swamped health care services and a surge in car crashes.

Tensions have soared over allegations of Haitian immigrants eating pets, which city officials have denied, although Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said a witness called police to report immigrants capturing geese for food in a park.

Mr. Legend told residents that they need to have “the same kind of grace that we would want our ancestors to have when they moved here with our Haitian brothers and sisters.”

“I grew up in the Christian tradition [where] we said to love our neighbor as we love ourselves and treat strangers as though they might be Christ,” he said. “So, how about we adopt that ethos when we talk about immigrants moving to our communities and don’t spread hateful, xenophobic, racist lies about them.”

Unfortunately for Mr. Legend, the specter of the celebrity singer, wearing a white bathrobe, scolding Springfield residents from his lavish digs in Beverly Hills didn’t go over well on social media.

“John Legend tells Springfield, Ohio residents to be more accepting of Haitians eating their pets from the safety of his $17.5 million West Coast mansion,” said Tara Bull on X. “Why doesn’t he let some Haitians come stay with him?”

Other comments included: “I notice immigrants aren’t being dumped in his backyard,” and “How about opening his [home] to these Haitian immigrants? That would be the true Christian thing to do.”

“John Legend says Springfield, Ohio is FINE. That settles it for me. I’m gonna listen to the zillionaire who doesn’t live there over my family members who do,” said comedian Jimmy Failla on X.

Added a commenter on Instagram: “The absolute arrogance of thinking that because you’re a celebrity your voice matters more than the people who are actually living it.”

What the hell did @johnlegend just say about the Haitians in Springfield?

“We had about 15,000 or so immigrants move to myvtown of 60,000. Now you might say ‘wow that’s a lot of people for a town that only had 60,000 before. That’s a 25% increase. That is correct.

So you might… pic.twitter.com/CsJNH53X19

— Viva Frei (@thevivafrei) September 13, 2024

The Biden administration has pledged $2.5 million in assistance to the community, but Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said at a Tuesday news conference that more help is needed.

“The federal government does not have a plan to give any support to the communities impacted by surges, and we have absolutely no indication that a plan is coming in the near future,” the Republican governor said.

He directed the Ohio State Highway Patrol to help Springfield police with traffic enforcement, citing the increase in dangerous driving fueled by inexperienced Haitian drivers.

Last year, an 11-year-old boy was killed and nearly two dozen children were injured by a Haitian immigrant who hit a school bus.

Mr. Yost said in a statement that there must be “a limiting principle. We’re going to find a way to get this disaster in front of a federal judge.”