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Video: Seth Rogen Testifies at Senate Hearing

Feb 27, 2014  •  Post A Comment

Actor Seth Rogen’s testimony this week at a Senate hearing brought humor to an often humorless room, as Rogen couldn’t keep himself from cracking a few jokes even as he talked about a serious subject: Alzheimer’s disease.

"The actor best known for his roles in comedies such as ‘Knocked Up’ made an impassioned plea before a Senate panel about the federal government’s role in Alzheimer’s disease," the Detroit Free Press reports. "He posted several items on Twitter about his experience in the halls of Congress — and didn’t mask his disappointment that there were only two senators in the room for his entire testimony before the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that deals with funding for the Health and Human Services Department."

Rogen apparently was a bit ticked off at Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., who "tweeted a picture of himself with the actor — but apparently did not stay for Rogen’s testimony," the paper reports.

The report adds: "Judging from the news stories about Wednesday’s hearing, Rogen was eloquent and touching as he described how the debilitating disease has affected his mother-in-law at the age of 55 and prompted him and his wife to start the non-profit group Hilarity for Charity to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s."

Here’s a clip of Rogen’s opening comments during Wednesday’s hearing:

One Comment

  1. Under the heading: “There’s a time and a place for everything”, Mr. Rogen’s attempts to be funny were misplaced given the seriousness of the situation and his audience. One or two opening quips would have been plenty; however, he was addressing a Senate hearing and not a room full of 20 Somethings. Mr. Rogen’s efforts to bring attention to Alzheimer’s disease should be applauded and supported. On a personal level my Mom has severe dementia. While not Alzheimer’s, I Mom cannot speak coherently, remember my father’s name, any of her friends, where she lived for the past 50 years, her grand children’s name, or for that matter, what I have said to her minutes earlier, to mention a few examples. I have had to face the reality that my Mom is not the Mom I grew up knowing. So, when Mr. Rogen sits in front of a group of Senators, the media, and C-SPAN’s audience and spends time trying to be funny he had, in my opinion, squandered a valuable opportunity to communicate the seriousness of the disease and to solicit financial support for those afflicted with this horrific disease.

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