Jerry Messing, ‘Freaks and Geeks’ Actor and Online Meme ‘Fedora Guy,’ Placed on Ventilator Due to COVID-19

Freaks and Geeks actor Jerry Messing, who is also the face of the popular “Fedora Guy” internet meme, has been placed on a ventilator after contracting Covid-19. The 35-year-old former child star’s father James told TMZ on Thursday that his son is “struggling to survive” and “nobody is allowed to visit him” as he remains hospitalized in a Florida hospital.

Messing, who had received one Pfizer vaccine dose and was awaiting his second, began to feel “really sick and had shortness of breath” several days ago, though he insisted he was fine. However, his breathing issues persisted and Messing’s condition worsened over the course of the following day. After his father tested his son’s oxygen levels and determined they were low, he immediately called an ambulance, which transported Messing from the Tampa, Florida apartment he shares with his parents to a hospital on Monday night. Messing tested positive for COVID-19 at the hospital and was immediately placed on a ventilator. No further updates regarding his condition have been provided, though his father said “nobody is allowed to visit Jerry right now as he’s struggling to survive.”

According to his father, Messing had been partially vaccinated against the coronavirus when he fell ill. His parents have been fully vaccinated, with Messing’s father having since tested negative for COVID-19 and his mother still awaiting her test results. Although the vaccines currently being administered offer high levels of protection against both contracting the virus and severe symptoms, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that “breakthrough cases,” ones in which vaccinated people become infected with the virus, “are expected.” The CDC notes that “like with other vaccines, vaccine breakthrough cases will occur, even though the vaccines are working as expected. Asymptomatic infections among vaccinated people will also occur.” However, the chances of contracting the virus once vaccinated are slim.

Messing is perhaps best known as being the face of the popular “Fedora Guy” internet meme, which shows the actor smiling as he tips his fedora towards the camera. According to the Daily Mail, the meme was first made popular on Reddit in 2013 after Messing shared the photo on Facebook in 2011. Messing is also known for his several supporting TV roles. He appeared as Gordon Crisp on the NBC cult dramedy Freaks and Geeks, Pugsley on the Addams Family Reunion TV movie, and also had roles in Disney Channel’s Even Stevens and HBO’s Mr. Show. He retired from acting in 2003.