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Stamford, Conn. – April 28, 2020 – Nine-time Grammy-nominated and multi-platinum selling artist Sia is set to perform during the Americares COVID IS NO JOKE virtual comedy fest this Friday, May 1, to help health workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sia will close the program with an intimate performance that has never been seen before.
The COVID IS NO JOKE comedy show will be a night of levity, laughter and community in support of frontline health workers—the heroes of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sia joins a star-studded cast of Hollywood actors and comedians presenting a mix of sketches, stand-up comedy and heart-felt messages to help raise critical funding for Americares COVID-19 response.
Award-winning actor Bryan Cranston is also joining the benefit show, along with comedians Chris Mann and Dwayne Perkins, Stephanie Beatriz of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and “Veep” cast members Reid Scott, Timothy Simons and Matt Walsh. Americares board member and COVID IS NO JOKE host Tony Goldwyn will be joined by former “Scandal” co-stars Kerry Washington and Bellamy Young.
Elizabeth Banks, Ike Barinholtz, Jack Black and Tenacious D, Wayne Brady, D’Arcy Carden, Kristin Chenoweth, Tom Cotter, Mackenzie Davis, Mark Duplass, Will Ferrell, Gal Gadot, Kyle Gass, Linda Hamilton, Chelsea Handler, Mindy Kaling, Kerri Louise, Jonathan Mangum, Patton Oswalt, Natalia Reyes, Adam Scott, Finn Straley, Paige Weldon,and Jenny Yang are also confirmed to participate.
Hollywood producers and longtime Americares supporters Bonnie Curtis, Kristin Hahn, Linda Goldstein Knowlton, David Koplan, Julie Lynn and Marti Noxon are serving as executive producers of the comedy benefit.
“While we may be apart physically, we can still come together virtually to help lift spirits and raise critical funds to support our frontline health workers,” said Americares President and CEO Christine Squires. “We are so grateful for the tremendous support of these artists and look forward to an unforgettable night.”
Americares, a health-focused relief organization, is providing critically needed protective gear, training and emotional support for health workers in the United States and around the world. An anonymous donor has agreed to match the first $100,000 in donations to Americares during the comedy event.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Americares has provided protective gear and infection-control supplies to health facilities in the United States, the Bahamas, Haiti, Honduras, India, Lebanon, the Philippines and Tanzania. In the U.S. alone, Americares has delivered 38 tons of protective supplies, including gloves, masks, gowns and disinfectants, to health facilities in 40 states as well as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In addition, Americares is training health workers in infection prevention and control, disaster preparedness and mental health and psychosocial support.
Americares has a long history of responding to infectious disease outbreaks, including cholera, Ebola, dengue and Zika outbreaks. The organization has professional relief workers ready to respond to disasters at a moment’s notice and stocks emergency medicine and supplies in warehouses in the U.S., Europe and India that can be delivered quickly in times of crisis. Americares responds to more than 30 natural disasters and humanitarian crises worldwide each year, establishes long-term recovery projects and brings disaster preparedness programs to vulnerable communities. Since its founding more than 40 years ago, Americares has provided more than $18 billion in aid to 164 countries, including the United States.