In a shameless social media blunder, self-described rapper Chet Hanks—who is indeed the son of Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson—recently fired off a chaotic anti-vax rant.
Hanks' anti-scientific views—he said COVID was no more than "the flu"—were made all the more confusing when people recalled both his parents came down with the virus in the early days of the pandemic last March.
The video, originally posted to his Instagram, began with the "White Boy Summer" proclaimer lulling viewers into the hopes he had his head on straight.
He kicked off with what seemed like an articulate PSA:
"Look, I've been kinda on the fence about this for a while, that's why I've never spoke on it. But with the amount of people that I know recently that have gotten COVID..."
"...and with, like, the numbers rising, I think it's important for me to say, like, I got the vaccine. I think everybody should. I think it's really important that we all do this just as, like, citizens [and] as Americans. We have to look out for each other."
But Hanks' time in the realm of facts only lasted so long.
After saying all of that, he completely changed his tone and message.
"Sike, bi***! If it ain't broke don't fix it. I ain't never had COVID. You ain't stickin' me with that motherfu**in' needle."
"It's the motherfu**in' flu. Get over it, okay? If you're sick, stay inside. Why we working around y'all? If you're in danger, stay your a** inside. I'm tired of wearing a motherfu**in' mask."
With Hanks giving both pro-science and anti-science sentiments roughly equal real estate in the clip, it's difficult to decipher if the anti-vax rant represents Hanks' honest views or if the post is a trolling, publicity ploy.
After all, Hanks' parents tested positive for the virus in March of 2020, vowing to donate their blood to help with treatment focused research.
Chet Hanks himself even appeared in Sasha Baron Cohen's Borat 2, a satire hinged heavily on mocking anti-scientific claims surrounding the pandemic.
Only time will tell if Hanks is gearing up for another more serious message, or if the apple has indeed fallen very very far from the tree.
In the meantime, Twitter is not giving Hanks the benefit of the doubt.
Others zeroed in on the idea Chet Hanks could come from such pleasant parents.
Now is a good time to acknowledge Hanks' opinion is, of course, a popular one.
Only 50.8% of U.S. residents are fully vaccinated, even as the Delta variant rips through the country causing ICUs in Florida and Texas to fill to capacity.
