There is perhaps no more beloved celebrity in Hollywood than Tom Hanks, so it should come as no surprise that the news that he and wife Rita Wilson tested positive for coronavirus has left many stars shaken.
“Love to you @RitaWilson & @tomhanks. Please stay strong,” “The West Wing” star Bradley Whitford tweeted Wednesday night. “Terriers” star Donal Logue responded to Hanks’ initial announcement by saying, “Feel better, boss! All the best to you and Rita.”
“Billions” co-creator Brian Koppelman also responded to Hanks’ tweet with words of encouragement, saying, “Get better, sir ! We need you.”
Amber Ruffin — a writer on “Late Night With Seth Meyers” and the star of the upcoming Peacock show “The Amber Ruffin Show” — reacted emotionally to the news, writing, “TOM HANKS HAS CORONAVIRUS THE WORLD IS UPSIDE DOWN WE HAVE TO START OVER GOOD THINGS ARE NO MORE.”
Comedian Whitney Cummings also attempted to bring some levity to the news, tweeting, “I mean Tom Hanks is who would play the guy in the movie about Coronavirus.” While popular gamer Ninja was also moved by the news, writing, “This is becoming very very real. Prayers to Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson.”
Perhaps journalist Ann Curry said it best, writing, “Ok, now we all have someone we love diagnosed with #coronavirus. Send Tom Hanks and his wife Rita some love.”
Singer Richard Marx said that he actually spoke to Rita Wilson, telling his fans, “Just spoke to my sister from another mister
@RitaWilson who sounds pretty good but let’s all send love and prayers and all good vibes to her and @tomhanks.”
Breaking the news to his fans Wednesday, Tom Hanks wrote on his Instagram page, “Rita and I are down here in Australia. We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches. Rita had some chills that came and went. Slight fevers too. To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the Coronavirus, and were found to be positive.”
Hanks continued, “Well, now. What to do next? The Medical Officials have protocols that must be followed. We Hanks’ will be tested, observed, and isolated for as long as public health and safety requires. Not much more to it than a one-day-at-a-time approach, no?”
He concluded the post by saying, “We’ll keep the world posted and updated. Take care of yourselves! Hanx!”
The couple is in Australia for filming on the as-yet-untitled film about Elvis Presley directed by Baz Luhrmann, currently slated for a 2021 release date. In the film, Hanks plays “Colonel” Tom Parker, Presley’s longtime manager.
See the reactions below:
Get better, sir ! We need you.
— Brian Koppelman (@briankoppelman) March 12, 2020
Feel better, boss! All the best to you and Rita.
— donal logue (@donallogue) March 12, 2020
Love to you @RitaWilson & @tomhanks. Please stay strong.
— Bradley Whitford (@BradleyWhitford) March 12, 2020
This is becoming very very real. Prayers to Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson. https://t.co/GNiXxznhiO
— Ninja (@Ninja) March 12, 2020
https://twitter.com/ambermruffin/status/1237913563496435715
Just spoke to my sister from another mister @RitaWilson who sounds pretty good but let’s all send love and prayers and all good vibes to her and @tomhanks
— Richard Marx (@richardmarx) March 12, 2020
Ok, now we all have someone we love diagnosed with #coronavirus.
Send Tom Hanks and his wife Rita some love: https://t.co/Cdf2bIRNel
— Ann Curry (@AnnCurry) March 12, 2020