TORONTO — Canadian actor Seth Rogen was in Washington on Wednesday to deliver a heartfelt speech at a Senate hearing on Alzheimer’s funding.
The 31-year-old B.C. native was invited to address senators in his role as co-founder of Hilarity for Charity, an organization that raises funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research.
Despite the serious subject matter, Rogen delivered some laughs.
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He thanked the panel for “the opportunity for me to be called an expert at something.”
Rogen, whose mother-in-law was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at 55, said he has witnessed the significant financial strain the disease causes “and if the American people ever decide to reject genitalia-driven comedy, I will no longer be able to afford it.”
He said more people need to share their personal stories. “Americans whisper the word Alzheimers because their government whispers the word Alzheimer’s,” said Rogen. “And although a whisper is better than the silence the Alzheimer’s community has been facing for decades, it’s still not enough.”
Iowa Senator Tom Harkin also got a laugh when he said it was” likely the first time in any congressional hearing in history that the words ‘Knocked Up’ have ever been said” — a reference to one of Rogen’s hit comedies.
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