US actor Tom Hanks speaks onstage during the Recording Academy and Clive Davis’ Salute To Industry Icons pre-Grammy gala at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, California on February 3, 2024.
Originally appeared on E! Online
Tom Hanks has a cautionary message for fans.
The Oscar winner shared a public service announcement to Instagram on Aug. 29, alerting fans to some AI-generated ads that he said were “falsely using my name, likeness, and voice promoting miracle cures and wonder drugs.”
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Noting that the ads were created “without my consent, fraudulently, and through AI,” the type 2 diabetic shared that he solely works with “a board certified doctor” to treat the condition and cautioned others to avoid the unendorsed products.
"Don’t be fooled,” the 68-year-old wrote. “Don’t be swindled. Don’t lose your hard earned money.”
Back in 2013, the "Forrest Gump" star opened up about his Type 2 diabetes diagnosis.
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"I went to the doctor and he said, ‘You know those high blood sugar numbers you’ve been dealing with since you were 36? Well, you’ve graduated,’” Hanks told David Letterman on "The Late Show." “‘You’ve got Type 2 diabetes, young man.’”
Hanks — who shares son Colin Hanks, 45, and daughter Elizabeth Hanks, 42, with ex-wife Samantha Lewes and sons Chet Hanks, 34, and Truman Hanks, 28, with wife Rita Wilson — is no stranger to speaking out for medical causes.
In fact, in April, Hanks and Wilson stepped out as the honorary chairs of "An Unforgettable Evening" benefiting the Women's Cancer Research Fund. The cause was a special one for the longtime couple, as Wilson underwent a double mastectomy for breast cancer in 2015.
"It takes a village," Wilson told E! about supporting cancer research. "And this community in our town of Los Angeles, California has turned out for 25 years to support this cause. We don't do it alone."
Hanks credited his wife, whom he met on the set of the sitcom "Bosom Buddies" before marrying in 1988, with helping him organize his time so that he can devote his efforts to good causes.
"Periodically this lady sits me down," he said, "and we pull out the books. We look at the year. We ponder the work that's gotta get done."
