Tom Hanks' son Chet stands by his anti-vaccine remarks

WASHINGTON: Celebrity couple Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson's son Chet Hanks recently double-downed on his stance that the COVID-19 vaccine isn't for him.

On Wednesday, Chet took to his Instagram account and spoke about his past remarks surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine.

"I'm going to keep this real simple for you guys, real simple," he told his followers.

"Just like you have the right to be mad at me because I said I'm not going to get the vaccine...I have the right to not get that s--t. I wanted to, but my immune system said it's good. It doesn't need to be tampered with. It said it's good," he added in the video.

Chet continued speaking about the vaccine calling it an "experimental government injection".

Chet said, "Let's be real. 99 per cent of you mother--kers wouldn't use a shampoo that isn't FDA approved, but you're willing to get some experimental government injection."

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. In addition, the government agency said millions of people in the United States have received the shot "under the most intense safety monitoring in U.S. history," reported E! News.

But according to Chet, he doesn't want to take advantage of the free vaccine currently available to individuals over 12 years old.

"There's more evidence for UFOs being real than that vaccine being healthy for you. If the aliens are out there, I'm ready for you to come get me. Let's get the f--k out of here or am I going to need my vaccine papers," he said.

This comes after he posted a video on August 10 speaking about the vaccine. Chet shared in the video that he's tired of wearing masks during the pandemic and even told fans to get over "COVID-19".

He started the clip with a positive tone by saying that he supports the vaccine.

"I've been on the fence about this for a while, that's why I never spoke on it. But with the amount of people I know recently that have gotten COVID, and with the numbers rising, I think it's important for me to say I got the vaccine, I think everybody should. It's really important that we all do this," he said in the clip.

After a few seconds, he changed his statement and stated that he won't be taking the vaccine and termed it as a simple flu.

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I never had COVID. Y'all ain't sticking me with that motherfu--ing needle. It's the motherfu--ing flu. Get over it, okay? If you're sick, stay inside. Okay, why we working around y'all? If you're in danger, stay your ass inside. I'm tired of wearing a motherfu--ing mask," Chet added.

However, his comments did not sit well with social media users, who slammed the actor-musician for his anti-vaccine stance.

Back in March 2020, Chet's parents Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson tested positive for COVID-19 while in Australia. The actor was filming an upcoming Elvis Presley biopic when he began experiencing symptoms.

"We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches," Tom shared on Instagram. "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."

As the Delta variant continues to spread throughout the United States, health experts like Dr Anthony Fauci are urging those eligible to get vaccinated.