Tom Hanks had the perfect way to brighten the day of a young fan who was bullied for being named Corona

(Image credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

published 23 April 2020

Recent COVID-19 survivor Tom Hanks brightened a young fan's day after hearing the boy had been bullied due to his rather topical name.

Eight-year-old Corona De Vries, of Queensland, Australia, had written to Hanks to ask "are you okay?" after hearing the actor had come down with the disease, the New York Post reports. Corona explained that his classmates teasingly called him "the coronavirus" and that it made him "sad and angry."

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.