On Tuesday night’s America’s Got Talent, comedian Michael Yo managed to crack up the judges–Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, Sofia Vergara and guest judge Eric Stonestreet with funny anecdotes about aging. After his set, he was so grateful for the judges’ praise, that he broke down and cried.
Covid-19 landed Michael Yo in the Hospital only Days after his America’s Got Talent Audition
After Michael’s audition, Sofia joked, “I would go hug you, but there’s a virus going on.” It was virtual hugs all around, THANK GOODNESS. Because only DAYS later after taping his audition, Michael was in the hospital alone, without his beloved wife, battling Covid-19.
I’m going to take a pause here to say that what happened to Michael Yo illustrates EXACTLY why AGT and other film productions needed to shut down PRONTO back in March. During Michael’s audition, the comedian could have been shedding the virus.
That’s why it was a good thing when producers stopped AGT production only a few days later. And when production finally returned to film the Judge Cuts late last month, producers worked with the unions and the state of California to make sure EVERYbody stayed safe.
BUT I DIGRESS.
Michael Fought for His Life, Writing Last Words for his Family
According to Entertainment Tonight, Michaelf “fought for his life” writing out what he felt could be his “final words” to his wife and kids.
“Let me tell you, back then when I shot my episode [of AGT], I looked at the day I shot the episode, there was less than 20 deaths and there were less than 2,000 cases in the United States. So we were still trying to figure it out,” Yo told ET. “Then, a week later I get corona.”
In the hospital, Michael battled pneumonia and Covid-19 which had led to infection.
“I go, ‘Doc, am I gonna make it?’ He goes, ‘It’s going to go good, or really, really bad, and we won’t know for two days. And your wife can’t come, no family members can see you, so make sure you text them. Make sure you call them, because they can’t come.'”
“There was a realization of, ‘I may not be around three days from now. And I feel the worst I’ve ever felt in my life so I can’t even enjoy those two days, and I can’t see my wife again, I can’t see my family again.’ And it just hit so hard,” Michael said. “If something [had gone] the other way, I would have died alone in that hospital, man, and that’s what’s happening [to people].”
Michael wrote his final words to his family after his fever reached 103.8.
I Honestly Thought I Was Going to Die in that Moment
“Everybody ran in the room. I couldn’t control my body and they were trying to calm me down,” he shared. “They gave me morphine because my head was pounding so bad. … I was in so much pain, morphine lasted about five seconds and the pain is back. That’s how bad I was, and I honestly thought I was gonna die in that moment. I was like, ‘I’m not gonna make it.'”
“I came to the realization, right in that moment, ‘I’ve got to be okay with leaving now, if it happens. But I gotta keep pushing to stay alive for my parents and my wife and my kids.’ [But] I thought it was over,” he continued.
“I typed it out because I wanted them to remember me by something. … I wanted my wife to be able to read my kid something, you know, when I was gone,” he explained. “It got that bad. It was scary.”
WEAR A MASK!
It’s worth pointing out to folks that even survivors of Covid-19 can go through a terrible ordeal, resulting in lasting damage to the body. Remember that when thinking about whether to wear a mask or not, or stay out of crowds. (Pro tip: WHERE A DANG MASK. Social Distance!!! That ends my Ted Talk.).
By the way, Michael may be familiar to fans of comedy and entertainment television. He’s a regular on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast. He worked with Chelsea Handler. He also guest hosted The Talk, appeared on the Wendy Williams Show, and has done work for a bunch of entertainment shows like Extra and Entertainment Tonight. Hosting shows provided a solid living, but Michael’s dream is to be a successful stand-up comedian, which is why he decided to audition for America’s Got Talent.
Michael talks about his Covid-19 experience on his Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-XcSMnJE8d/
