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FACT BRIEF

Is actor Tom Hanks facing a health condition that will cause him to 'spend the remainder of his life in and out of hospitals'?

By Christiana Dillard
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NO

Tom Hanks, who was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2013 and COVID-19 in 2020, has reportedly managed both diseases. There is no evidence of other health issues facing the actor, and his wife, Rita Wilson, has made no statement about his health, contrary to a claim in a social media post.

The post includes photos of Hanks lying in a hospital bed, appearing pale and weakened. The photos are not real -- they are from the 1993 movie "Philadelphia," in which Hanks played a lawyer fired due to his HIV/AIDS diagnosis.

The post leads readers to click on a link, which goes to an article titled "Celebrities Who Have Been Living With Hidden Health Conditions." The section about Hanks makes no mention of a condition that would leave him "in and out of hospitals" for the rest of his life, as the post states.

See a full discussion of this at Lead Stories
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
’Today’ Show (NBC) Tom Hanks reveals he has type 2 diabetes on 'Late Show'
BBC Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson released from coronavirus treatment
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Lead Stories
Lead Stories is a fact checking and debunking website at the intersection of big data and journalism that launched in 2015. It scouts for trending stories, images, videos and posts that contain false information in order to fact check them as quickly as possible. It actively monitors the fake-news ecosystem and doesn’t wait for reader tips or reports before getting started on a story.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.