Tom Hanks Questions Patriotism of Americans Who Refuse to Wear Masks

In his first major interviews since becoming the first major celebrity to contract COVID-19 four months ago, Tom Hanks has been highly critical of anyone in America who is not taking the pandemic seriously. 

“Shame on you,” he told anyone who refuses to take basic precautions. "If you can’t wear a mask and wash your hands and social-distance, I’ve got no respect for you,” he added.

The two-time Oscar winner and star of the new film Greyhound took things to the next level Tuesday night during an extended conversation with Stephen Colbert on The Late Show. 

“As somebody who’s gone through this and knows firsthand this is not a hoax, how do you feel when you see people not wearing masks out there?” Colbert asked him.

“Are they Americans?” Hanks asked. “You know, I don’t get it.” He said it’s “literally the least you can do” to wear a mask, wash your hands and try to stay 6 feet away from a person. “Is this impossible now?” 

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“I think of George Washington’s troops at Valley Forge,” Hanks continued. “If you asked them to wear a mask, they would love it because it would keep them a little bit warm. And they would have washed their hands if the snows were not freezing. They would have been happy to do that.”

After a brief historical detour about Washington insisting that his troops be inoculated for scarlet fever, Hanks continued his impassioned rant. “Honestly, if you drive a car, you think it’s your constitutional right not to use your turn signals?” he asked. “You should use your turn signals, because otherwise you might run into somebody, somebody right run into you, right? You want to obey some aspect of the speed limit, right? You don’t want to go 120 miles an hour in a school zone, you slow down. You try not to hit buildings and pedestrians, you give it a shot, don’t you? Isn’t that the least you can do when you’re driving a car?”

“I think the least you can do in the United States of America and around the world is wear a mask and wash your hands and keep your distance,” he concluded. “Holy smokes!” 

Among those Americans who have refused to wear a mask in public just this week is Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), who was caught maskless both on an American Airlines plane and at the gate before he boarded.

“What’s it going to take to get you to be a fan of masks?” Colbert asked Cruz in his monologue. “Have the masks call your wife ugly and accuse your dad of killing JFK?” 

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