A cache of 860 pages of Fauci's emails show how he felt about the celebrity buzz over his persona: 'Our society is totally nuts'

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A cache of 860 pages of Fauci's emails show how he felt about the celebrity buzz over his persona: 'Our society is totally nuts'
Getty/Kevin Dietsch
  • Thousands of pages of Dr. Anthony Fauci's emails were released by BuzzFeed and The Washington Post.
  • The emails reveal that Fauci was shocked by the public fascination with his persona.
  • They also show the immense pressure Fauci was under with requests for advice, interviews, and talks.
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More than 860 pages of Dr. Anthony Fauci's emails during March and April 2020, published by The Washington Post, show the nation's top infectious disease expert's reaction to the buzz around his persona at the start of the pandemic.

In March, a National Institutes of Health colleague sent Fauci an article from The Post with the headline: "Fauci socks, Fauci doughnuts, Fauci fan art: The coronavirus expert attracts a cult following."

"Truly surrealistic," Fauci replied. "Hopefully, this all stops soon."

Read more: Why a top vaccine expert thinks we won't need COVID-19 booster shots for 3 to 5 years

In an email the next month, Fauci received a Google News alert for his name which featured an article called "'Cuomo Crush' and 'Fauci Fever' - Sexualization of These Men Is a Real Thing on the Internet."

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He then forwarded that email to someone with the message: "It will blow your mind. Our society is totally nuts."

BuzzFeed also published more than 3,200 pages of Fauci's emails from January to June 2020.

Some of the emails both sent and received by the doctor show the immense pressure Fauci was under with requests for advice, interviews, and talks.

On February 5, Howard Bauchner, editor-in-chief of JAMA, sent Fauci an email that included: "You surviving -- worried a bit about your workload."

"Am hanging in there," Fauci replied. "Feels like my internship and first year residency when I was on every other night and every other weekend, but actually never left the hospital because the patients were so sick."

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