Yahoo News Patrick Dempsey, Olivia Wilde and More TV Doctors Thank Real Healthcare Workers in Video Tribute
Some of the most iconic TV doctors are coming together to remind us all who the real heroes are.
On Tuesday, Olivia Wilde — who played Remy “Thirteen” Hadley, M.D. on House — shared a heartwarming video in which she and her fellow television and film doctors thanked the real healthcare workers fighting on the frontlines of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
“The closest thing I’ve ever come to being a doctor is putting on a costume, and while it is close, it’s not quite the same. But I just want to say thank you to the real healthcare heroes out there, and there are some other people who want to say thank you as well,” Wilde began in the video.
The clip then featured a slew of actors and actresses from shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Scrubs and ER, as well as some movie doctors, such as Jennifer Garner, who portrayed Dr. Eve Saks in Dallas Buyers Club.
“I want to thank all the doctors and the nurses. The real ones, not the ones that are on television,” Patrick Dempsey, AKA Grey’s Anatomy‘s Dr. Derek Shepherd, added.
“I’m not a doctor, but I was paid to be one on TV. I’m pretty sure that’s the expression,” Neil Patrick Harris jokingly chimed in.
“I wish I was there with you guys to assist in my medical capacity, but probably all I would be doing would be writing prescriptions for myself, which is kind of all I did when I was 16 and 17,” he added, referencing his early role as the medical prodigy Dr. Douglas “Doogie” Howser.
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Sarah Chalke kept the jokes coming. “I know that they’re recruiting retired doctors and nurses, and if you want to recruit the fake doctors, we are ready,” the Scrubs star said. “We can hand you … stuff.”
Thousands of retired healthcare workers have volunteered to come back and staff hospitals and clinics in need during the pandemic. In New York alone, some 76,000 have stepped up to join the fight against the virus, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a press briefing last week.
“Tens of thousands of you have come out to assist in a time when you didn’t really need to but felt that you needed to, that is mind-blowing,” Harris said.
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Nurse Jackie star Edie Falco shared, “I hope you can find some comfort in knowing you’re being thought about and prayed for.”
“Thank you for your courage and for going out there into the world and doing everything you can to fight this horrible, horrible virus,” Zach Braff added.
Sandra Oh also gave her brother-in-law, a real-life ER doctor in Canada, a special shout-out.
“I wish you all health and safety,” she said before adding, “And a quick shout-out to my brother-in-law, Scott, who is an ER doc up in Vancouver. I love you, man.”
The video then shared a call-to-action, asking fans and viewers to consider donating to Thrive Global, a company collecting donations to provide resources to first responders and frontline medical staff.
“Thank you, healthcare heroes ❤️On behalf of fake doctors everywhere, we want to thank the actual healthcare superheroes on the front lines of this crisis,” Wilde captioned the post. “On this #worldhealthday please consider donating to buy essential resources for these first responders who are risking their lives for us. Thriveglobal.com/firstresponders #firstrespondersfirst.”
As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments. To help provide doctors and nurses on the front lines with life-saving medical resources, donate to Direct Relief here.
