Michelle Obama and Your Favorite Celebrities’ Moms Star in a New Vaccine PSA
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Covid-19 vaccines have been widely available to the majority of Americans since the spring of 2021, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone 18 or over get a booster within six months of their final dose. Yet as the new Omicron variant rapidly proliferates across the U.S.—and the holiday gathering season nears—it’s never been more important to protect yourself, and others, against a potentially serious infection. Former First Lady Michelle Obama has long placed an emphasis on public health, so it’s fitting that she joins a band of concerned (and delightful) fellow moms in a brand-new vaccine PSA.
Joining her are six parents of beloved celebrities: Jonah Hill and Beanie Feldstein’s mom, Sharon Feldstein; John David Washington’s mom, Pauletta Washington; Alicia Keys’s mom, Terria Joseph; Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine’s mom, Patsy Noah; Zendaya’s mom, Claire Stoermer; and NBA player Chris Paul’s mom, Robin Paul. The spot is produced by Chicago comedy institution The Second City, and sponsored by grassroots group Made to Save in partnership with #WeCanDoThis and Your Mom Cares, the kids’ mental health nonprofit founded by Feldstein, Noah, and Joseph.
In the video, the six women prove that they are prepared to use every trick in the mom book to persuade their kids—and other peoples’ kids, at every age—to get vaccinated. Literally: They bust out The Mom Book, a (fictional) leather-bound volume, to do it. As the voiceover narrates, they also draw upon “mom powers” such as bribery (Pauletta Washington hilariously brandishes a bowl of her mac and cheese), guilt, worldly wisdom, and “texting way too many times.” The women then show off their bejeweled card holders and fancy Band-Aids, though we’re especially partial to Zendaya’s mom Stoermer’s “Chillax & Vax” necklace.
Ultimately, though, a from-the-heart approach proves to be the most powerful of all. Speaking into the camera, Pauletta Washington admits that she was “very reluctant” about getting the vaccine herself, “but I was convinced. I got it. And now? I feel free.”
“Faith over fear, that’s my motto,” adds Robin Paul, Chris Paul’s mom. “You don't have to live in fear once you get the vaccination.” Stoermer, meanwhile, delivers a straightforward message: “Just get the vaccine...I don’t want to ad-lib about it. Zendaya didn’t get that from me.” Aww!
“You don’t need to be a mom to be a superhero,” Mrs. Obama says toward the PSA’s end, directing viewers to vaccines.gov. “You can keep yourself and those around you safe by getting your Covid vaccine or booster today.”
“Moms are always going to weigh the options and choose the safest and best one to protect their children,” Sharon Feldstein, who bears a striking resemblance to daughter Beanie, said in a statement. “This is why we felt it was absolutely necessary for us to use our collective voices and opinions to let everyone know they should go out and get the vaccine. Period.”
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