Actress Jennifer Aniston (“Friends”) has joined the chorus of celebrities emphatically calling upon Americans to do their part and “wear the damn mask.”
In an Instagram post on Sunday, Aniston shared a photo of her friend, Kevin, hooked up to a ventilator on a hospital bed after contracting COVID-19. According to Aniston, Kevin was perfectly healthy and had not a single underlying health issue.
“This is our friend Kevin. Perfectly healthy, not one underlying health issue. This is Covid. This is real,” Aniston wrote. “We can’t be so naive to think we can outrun this… if we want this to end, and we do, right? The one step we can take is PLEASE #wearadamnmask.”
“Just think about those who’ve already suffered through this horrible virus. Do it for your family. And most of all yourself. COVID affects all ages,” she added. “This photo was taken in early April. Thank god he has almost recovered now. Thank you all for your prayers.”
Various celebrities, from Matthew McConaughey to Tom Hanks to Eminem, have publicly urged people to wear a mask, often describing them as selfish or unAmerican for not doing so. Tom Hanks even called it a “p***y” move.
“There’s really only three things we can do in order to get to tomorrow: Wear a mask, social distance, wash our hands,” Hanks said during a press conference.
“Those things are so simple, so easy. If anybody cannot find it in themselves to practice those three very basic things – I just think shame on you,” he added, “Don’t be a p***y, get on with it, do your part. It’s very basic. If you’re driving a car, you don’t go too fast, you use your turn signal, and you avoid hitting pedestrians. My Lord, it’s common sense.”
On July 4, actor Matthew McConaughey advised his followers on social media to “wear the damn mask” in order to beat the pandemic.
“Happy 244th birthday, America,” said McConaughey. “We is going through some growing pains on this one, aren’t we? But growing pains are a good thing, because how the hell else are we going to grow up? I think we gotta look each other in the eye. I think we gotta look ourselves in the eye.”
“We gotta look in the mirror and ask ourselves, ‘How can I be better? How can I expect more of myself and others? How can I be more responsible? How can I have more compassion? How can I have more courage? How can I be more fair? How do I make sure I wear the damn mask?’” he continued.
In a recent song featuring Kid Cudi, rapper Eminem ripped people who refuse to wear masks as he characterized the COVID-19 pandemic as a kind of “zombie apocalypse.” The lyrics:
Bunch of half-wits up in office (What?)
Half of us walking around like a zombie apocalypse
Other half are just pissed off and (Yeah)
Don’t wanna wear a mask and they’re just scoffing
And that’s how you end up catching the s— off ‘em
I just used the same basket as you shopping
Now I’m in a f***in’ casket from you coughin’ (Damn)
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