Rapper-actor Ice-T has been candid on Twitter about how COVID-19 has impacted his family and his own life.
“My father-in-law ‘Coco’s dad’ was a serious ‘No Masker’ COVID hit him,” he wrote. “Pneumonia in both lungs.. 40 days in ICU close to death.. Now he’s on Oxygen indefinitely.”
The tweet included a photo of Steve Austin wearing an oxygen mask.
“Ohhh he’s a Believer now,” Ice-T wrote, followed by “#COVIDisNotAGame.”
In his retweet of Ice-T’s post, conservative commentator Brandon Straka remarked: “What would cause somebody to post something like this? It totally reads like schadenfreude on your own father in law. Plenty of ‘pro-maskers’ have met the same or worse fates. We don’t celebrate ppl getting sick so we can have our ‘told you so’ moment. That’s your FAMILY.”
Ice-T replied to Straka via retweet.
“Clowna**,” he began, “If I’m willing to use a family member that I love, as an example of someone coming close to death from a virus that I assume you think is fake.. And I’m trying to warn people.. Then it must be serious to me. Brandon, you’ve got a lotta nerve.”
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In July, Ice-T revealed that his father-in-law was battling COVID-19, sharing that Mr. Austin had been in the hospital for more than a month.
“Now he’s home,” he said, “but his lungs are damaged indefinitely.”
Ice said he hoped to encourage people to wear a mask to protect themselves and their families. “I’ve made it through so much in my life, I don’t want to die because of this — especially with a new daughter,” he said. “I’m aware, and I’m concerned, and I’m cautious.”
Read More: Coronavirus outbreak hits Oregon mink farm
Law & Order: SVU, the signature cop show on which Ice-T has been a regular cast member for nearly 20 years. has returned to production, writing coronavirus into its storylines. The cast frequently wears masks on the show, simulating real life and also cutting down on the likelihood of on-set transmission.
All cast members are regularly tested for COVID-19.
Executive producer Warren Leight told Entertainment Tonight that “what the city has gone through will be reflected in what our characters go through. Their actions as police officers will be viewed through a different prism than before.”
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