Good on Tom Hanks for normalizing masking, its a really bare minimum community minded practice that you can do while our government goes full fascist/eugenics.

“A BMC Infectious Diseases survey found that 94.7% reported cognitive changes and a high proportion reported sleep disturbances, depressive symptoms and personality shifts. Beyond what people call “brain fog,” COVID may disrupt the neural circuits that regulate emotion.“

“The effects of COVID extend into changes in personality, including reduced empathy and increased irritability. Neuroimaging studies offer potential mechanism. A PET-scan study found increased glial activation in the prefrontal cortex, linking inflammation to brain injury.”

“STEPHEN COLBERT: The important thing is: I’m fine. We’re ALL FINE. If we’re not, I hereby declare a new normal. [Mission Accomplished (again)] Because in the end, America, COVID doesn’t change who we are—it helps us forget who that was. [“The Word” static-glitch fade-out]”

“Stephen Colbert: Now, some folks say repeated COVID infections might make us less empathetic, more self-centered. To which I say: Finally, some good news! [America but EXTRA]”

“Stephen Colbert”: Nation, tonight’s Word is— [On-screen graphic: “COVID”] They say COVID can cause memory loss. Which is great news for anyone who still remembers the past decade. [Measured in milligrams of Effexor]”

“The appeal to a core self is a concept that exceeds virology, but Stephen Colbert might recognize as adjacent to metaphysics, maybe what Aquinas might call ‘essence.’ Something inviolable, even by a pathogen as comprehensively destructive to the biological self as COVID.”

“A study in The New England Journal of Medicine reported deficits in attention, memory and executive function after COVID-19 that were comparable to years of aging. For Stephen Colbert, whose craft relies on sustained presence, even modest cognitive changes may affect delivery.”

“A 2025 study found that the rate of complicated appendicitis rose significantly, even adjusting for treatment delays. A 2024 multicenter retrospective study found that SARS-CoV-2 infection raised the odds of complicated appendicitis by more than 3 times.”

“Many continue to think of COVID‑19 as ar respiratory infection, but it is increasingly clear that it is a multisystem, neurovascular disease. SARS-CoV-2 is not limited to the airways because it targets the endothelium, the layer of cells lining every blood vessel in the body.”

“Stephen Colbert’s health scare, and its proximity to the show’s COVID cancellations, raises an important question: could his acute appendicitis and subsequent complications relate in part to the infection a few weeks before?”

“In 2023, The Late Show had weathered multiple COVID-related interruptions, first in April, then in October. Weeks later, the situation escalated when Stephen Colbert underwent emergency surgery for a ruptured appendix, describing how he ‘was not aware of the trouble I was in.’”

“The Open Letter followed an action in AMC’s New York headquarters, where an empty wheelchair was placed with a sign reading ‘Disabled Artists Will Not Be Erased.‘ In October, the artists living with Long COVID reported that no response had been received from AMC or Eric Bogosian’s representatives.”

“In July 2025, the theater makers living with Long COVID released an open letter to AMC Networks and actor-playwright Eric Bogosian, who stars in Interview With the Vampire, requesting transparency about any public relations activity that may have affected visibility of their news coverage.”

“Narrative control of the pandemic extends to COVID conscious artists. The disabled theater makers behind Wake Up and Smell the C*VID: An Evening Without Eric Bogosian, about COVID’s impact on the arts, have been documenting what they describe as ‘patterns consistent with crisis PR suppression’”.

”It pretty much works all the time.” Tom Hanks gets that masking keeps him safe and healthy. Read more about it → whn.global/youve-got-a-... #PublicHealth #MaskUp #COVID19 #InfectionPrevention #LongCOVID

This is about more than Tom Hanks; and the exposes long COVID in the arts www.thecanary.co/global/world...

Since the end of formal COVID safety agreements by SAG-AFTRA in 2023, studios and networks have shifted much of the responsibility for protection onto individuals.

“Another example came from writer and Star Trek actor Wil Wheaton, who contracted SARS-CoV-2 for the first time this September after unmasking at a fan convention. He wrote on Instagram that he had ‘let his guard down’ due to social pressure, calling the infection ‘so avoidable.’”

“At Adele’s Las Vegas residency, the venue reportedly spent approx £400,000 on a state-of-the-art air-filtration system designed to “protect her voice”. Taylor Swift reportedly operated a touring “bubble” that limited backstage access and outside contact during the Eras run.”

“Grassroots COVID conscious advocacy has emerged in theatre. In the US, performer Ezra Tozian has published guides in HowlRound. In the UK, Dr. Sally Witcher OBE @salwitcher.bsky.social , founder of INN the Arts, has published a best practices framework for reducing airborne infection risk.”

“When Tom Hanks uses a platform like The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to acknowledge the dangers of COVID-19, it normalizes prevention. And it validates the safety concerns of those with less visibility or bargaining power, but are shouldering the risk and advocacy labor.”

“On London’s West End, the Macbeth production starring David Tennant at the Harold Pinter Theatre cancelled multiple performances due to ‘company illness.‘ In New York, the Broadway revival of Gypsy starring Audra McDonald cancelled 7 performances in a week owing to illness.”

“Tom Hanks’ decision to stay masked places him in a small but growing group of celebrities who are speaking publicly about COVID prevention. Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Sarah Michelle Gellar posted a masked selfie from the set of the show’s reboot.“

“Tom Hanks’ decision to stay masked places him in a small but growing group of celebrities who are speaking publicly about COVID prevention. Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Sarah Michelle Gellar posted a masked selfie from the set of the show’s reboot.“

“On London’s West End, the Macbeth production starring David Tennant at the Harold Pinter Theatre cancelled multiple performances due to ‘company illness.‘ In New York, the Broadway revival of Gypsy starring Audra McDonald cancelled 7 performances in a week owing to illness.”

“When Tom Hanks uses a platform like The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to acknowledge the dangers of COVID-19, it normalizes prevention. And it validates the safety concerns of those with less visibility or bargaining power, but are shouldering the risk and advocacy labor.”

“Grassroots COVID conscious advocacy has emerged in theatre. In the US, performer Ezra Tozian has published guides in HowlRound. In the UK, Dr. Sally Witcher OBE @salwitcher.bsky.social , founder of INN the Arts, has published a best practices framework for reducing airborne infection risk.”

“At Adele’s Las Vegas residency, the venue reportedly spent approx £400,000 on a state-of-the-art air-filtration system designed to “protect her voice”. Taylor Swift reportedly operated a touring “bubble” that limited backstage access and outside contact during the Eras run.”

“Stephen Colbert has had multiple COVID-related interruptions. In Nov 2023, he underwent emergency surgery for a ruptured appendix, during which he was ‘not aware of the trouble I was in.’ A growing body of research highlights the association between appendicities and COVID.”

“During his conversation with Colbert, Hanks admitted that even though he helped write the show, he has forgotten his own lines. ‘I disappeared the other night,’ he said. Memory problems are among the common conditions following COVID‑19 infections, according to the CDC.”

“Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson were among the first celebrities to announce a COVID-19 diagnosis. He described the experience vividly. His bones felt like ‘soda crackers‘ and his energy vanished. He later became one of the early public figures to urge mask-wearing.”

“Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson were among the first celebrities to announce a COVID-19 diagnosis. He described the experience vividly. His bones felt like ‘soda crackers‘ and his energy vanished. He later became one of the early public figures to urge mask-wearing.”

In a recent appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, actor Tom Hanks told the host: “I’m doing a play right now so I cannot get sick… I’ve had COVID enough in my life, I don’t need to do that again. So I’m wearing [a mask] for health reasons.”😷🎭

“Crisis PR as media industry infrastructure was not built with a Long COVID Zoom play in mind. Its most common use is against people who’ve experienced discrimination, whistleblowers for workplace safety, and sexual harassment and assault survivors.” #NYCC2025

“The Open Letter appears to be no longer searchable. They write: ‘If you would like to verify the disappearance from search: Go to Google Search: “OPEN LETTER: Dear Eric Bogosian, are you letting disabled, COVID-impacted artists be erased in your name?” (with quotes).’” #NYCC2025

“The theater makers living with Long COVID wrote ‘a density of promo articles from Eric Bogosian were published...that appeared to include overlapping keywords from our work, including the AIDS crisis, of which many members of our community are survivors and activists.” #NYCC2025

“The group documents what they describe as 6 months of ’patterns consistent with crisis PR suppression.‘ They say it began when they produced a non-commercial fundraiser play ‘for vulnerable members of the Long COVID community‘ that included commentary of Eric Bogosian.” #NYCC2025

“After the apparent disappearance of their Open Letter to AMC Networks and actor and playwright Eric Bogosian, disabled, queer, and trans theater makers living with Long COVID have published a Request for Repair, aligning with the #NYCC2025 Interview with the Vampire panel.”

Dear Eric Bogosian, AMC: what happened to our open letter over long Covid? Disabled, Long COVID theater makers request transparency ahead of New York Comic Con 'Interview with the Vampire' event www.thecanary.co/global/world...

“As more people document workplace SARS-CoV-2 exposure, there is risk of significant liability claims, especially for productions with high visibility. Meanwhile, contractual restrictions, such as non‑disparagement clauses, often limit what celebrities or crew can publicly say.”

“If celebrities are enduring exploitative labour situations, why don’t fans protest?” one way to do that is to #MaskUp if you do decide to go to cons. help keep everyone safer!

“It was so avoidable, and I’m extra pissed at myself for allowing the people who never stopped complaining about my choice to continue masking to influence my decisions about my health and my family’s health. Never again.” Star Trek Actor Wil Wheaton Infected with COVID at Comic Con

“ Most entertainment insurance policies don’t cover COVID-related illness because it’s considered foreseeable. “

Sarah Michelle Gellar just made my list of respected celebs.

Actor and writer Wil Wheaton, best known for Star Trek: The Next Generation, and an outspoken advocate for coronavirus (Covid-19) conscious behavior, has contracted the virus while attending Comic Con.

"I’m so annoyed, because it was so avoidable, and I’m extra pissed at myself for allowing the people who never stopped complaining about my choice to continue masking to influence my decisions about my health and my family’s health. Never again." 😷😷😷