'Fedora Guy' Jerry Messing Partially Paralyzed After COVID Battle
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'Fedora Guy' Jerry Messing Partially Paralyzed After COVID Battle

Update 9/22/12: "Fedora Guy" Jerry Messing's battle with COVID-19 has left him partially paralyzed and unable to move his arms or legs, according to the New York Post. The former child actor is unable to stand or walk without assistance, which is why he's currently undergoing physical therapy in Tampa, Florida, with doctors saying recovery will take some time.

Jerry Messing, who's become the face of the hat-tipping meme that we've all seen at least once, has COVID-19.

TMZ reports that Messing, who also acted in Freaks and Geeks, is in Florida fighting his life. His father, James, told the publication that he started to feel sick a couple of days ago and has been experiencing shortness of breath.

The following day, James noticed that Jerry was having some serious difficulty breathing, so he tested his oxygen and found it to be very low. Jerry was transported to a hospital shortly after.

Upon arriving at the hospital, Jerry was tested for COVID-19 and came back positive. He was placed on a ventilator.

As for Jerry's family, both his father and mother have been tested for COVID-19 because they started to feel sick around the same time as Jerry. James tested negative so far and his mother's results are still pending.

Jerry wasn't yet fully vaccinated. He'd received his first Pfizer dose and was in the middle of waiting to get his second one when he got sick. His mother and father, however, are both fully vaccinated.

James revealed that nobody is allowed to visit his son right now.

In addition to Freaks and Geeks, Jerry has appeared in a select few roles, with one of them being Disney's Even Stevens. He found the most fame, however, thanks to his old headshot, featuring him smiling mischievously and tipping his hat, which became a viral meme.

In 2015, he spoke to Buzzfeed about the origin of the shot, saying "It was taken by a photographer that does headshots at his studio. There was extra film left in the roll so I decided to do that one for the fun of it."

Photo via Facebook/ Jerry Messing