American actor and musician Chet Hanks has gone on an anti-vaccine rant, telling fans to “get over” Covid-19 and to “stay inside” if they’re not feeling well.
In an Instagram video, the son of actors Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson started off his message using a mock positive tone by supporting vaccines and encouraging everyone to “set an appointment”.
“I’ve been kind of on the fence about this for a while. That’s why I never spoke on it, but with the amount of people I know recently who have gotten Covid and with the numbers rising, I think it’s important for me to say I got the vaccine,” he said.
“I think everyone should. I think it’s really important that we all do this just as citizens, as Americans, we have to look after each other and get this [situation] under control, guys,” he added.
However, at this point the 31-year-old actor’s video message suddenly deviates in another direction.
“Psych, b***h! If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” he shouted. “I’ve never had Covid. They ain’t sticking me with that m*****f***ing needle. It’s the m*****f***ing flu. Get over it.”
Hanks then asked for the ones who are infected or aren’t feeling well to “stay inside”.
“Why are we working around y’all? If you’re in danger, stay your ass inside,” he said. “I’m tired of wearing the m*****f***ing mask.”
The Empire and Shameless actor’s attitude to the vaccine has been in sharp contrast to that of his parents.
In March 2020, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson were among the first Hollywood celebrities to disclose they had tested positive for the coronavirus while in Australia, where Hanks was filming a Baz Lurhmann-directed Elvis Presley biopic and Wilson was on tour for her latest album.
The couple proceeded to share regular updates about their condition, helping raise awareness about the virus and its effects.
In an interview with The National Defense Radio Show, Tom Hanks spoke about how his wife had a much “tougher time” than he did.
“She had a much higher fever and she had some other symptoms. She lost her sense of taste and smell. She got absolutely no joy from food for a better part of three weeks,” Hanks said.
“She was so nauseous she had to crawl on the floor from the bed to the facilities,” explained the Inferno actor, “and it lasted a while.”
He later also revealed they had donated their blood plasma to help with research into the virus.
