Dr. Drew Pinsky on Coronavirus: 'I Got It Wrong'

Apology comes after a video mashup of his comments appears on Twitter
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Apr 7, 2020 1:41 PM CDT
Dr. Drew Pinsky Sorry for Pooh-Poohing Coronavirus
This Jan. 18, 2019, file photo shows Drew Pinsky speaking at the 2019 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards in Burbank, Calif.   (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

Celebrity doctor Drew Pinsky has apologized for a series of statements unspooled in a recent video where he downplayed the coronavirus and suggested it was a "press-induced panic." In a video posted over the weekend, Pinsky—aka Dr. Drew—said, "I wish I had gotten it right, but I got it wrong." Pinsky's apology was prompted by an online video that put together clips from a series of appearances he made over a two-month period. The video collects clips of Pinsky on his online show “Ask Dr. Drew," his podcast “Dr. Drew After Dark,” and other media appearances. He repeatedly suggested the coronavirus would be not as bad as the flu, at one point saying the probability of dying of coronavirus was less than being hit by an asteroid.

On KTLA-TV on March 2, he said he was angry about the "press-induced panic" caused by the disease. The Pinsky video surfaced on Twitter, posted by someone who goes by the name "DroopsDr.” The AP was not able to establish the person's identity. In his apology, Pinsky noted he was "part of a chorus" that was equating coronavirus to the flu. He said he didn't understand the ferocity of the illness and had been primarily looking at the number of influenza cases. While he did not say the clips had been edited in a deceptive way, he noted that in most of his appearances, he also directed viewers toward the guidance of Dr. Anthony Fauci and the CDC.

(More Drew Pinsky stories.)

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