Anthony Fauci's Attention Ledger
Anthony Fauci kept a personal daily diary. In it he logged every award, every piece of Fauci-branded merch, and every celebrity moment that came his way.
Dr. Faucio narrated his own annoyance — “Geeeez!! I do not like this one bit” — and kept collecting for two and a half years anyway. The screenshots below are from the actual diary pages in the Senate release.
THE MERCH WAVE
March 2020
01—09
01 Fauci donuts - Donuts Delite sold thousands; copycats followed nationwide.
02 T-shirts with his face - Commercially produced and sold across the country.
03 Prayer candles - Votive candles cast him as a haloed saint.
04 Socks, mugs, pillows, sweatshirts, magnets, bottle openers - A full secondary merch wave, all unlicensed.
05 ‘Honk for Dr. Fauci’ bumper stickers
06 ‘Color Me Fauci’ coloring book - Crayon-in outlines of his face.
07 Instagram Live with Steph Curry - Obama and Bieber replied with emojis.
08 FaceTime interview with Trevor Noah
09 A song dedicated to him on San Francisco radio - Curtis Mayfield’s ‘Keep on Pushing.’
March 2020
“For better or worse, I am becoming an international celebrity.”
March 2020
“CRAZY, CRAZY – donuts are being named after me; T shirts have my picture on them and are being sold; San Francisco radio is dedicating a song to me – Curtis Mayfield singing “Keep on Pushing”; coloring pictures with crayons for my picture, face time with Trevor Noah; Instagram with Steph Curry”
April 2020
10 Brad Pitt plays him on SNL - Pitt thanked him ‘in a very serious tone’ when the sketch ended.
11 Sammie Award - Outstanding Federal Employee of the Year.
12 Official Fauci bobblehead - Raised $100,000 for healthcare-worker charities.
13 ‘Facepalm’ and ‘red tie’ bobblehead variants - $200,000 across all versions.
14 ‘Fauci Pouchy’ cocktail bags - Cocktails-to-go in transparent pouches bearing his image.
15 Lingua Franca cashmere sweater - A high-end knitwear brand’s Fauci edition.
16 Portrait sells for $15,000 - Jeremy Penn painting; proceeds to charity.
17 Petition: name him Sexiest Man Alive - 10,000+ signatures sent to People.
18 Video games using his name and likeness
19 Organized fan clubs - With membership and their own merchandise.
20 News stories about grandmothers with crushes on him
21 Restaurant dishes named after him
April 2020 · original spelling [sic]
“It is not hyoperbole to say that today I am the most famous and talked about person in the country and one of the most recognizable peson in the world. Countless profiles on me in multiple media. I cannot even read all the things that are written abuyt me since I am so busy….seriously.”
April 2020
“The ‘swag’ around me is getting really ridiculous… Geeeez!! I do not like this one bit.”
April 2020
“Continued crazy stuff: Petition to name me ‘Sexiest Man Alive’; video games named after me; Fauci Bobblehead; dishes in restaurants named after me, and on and on.”
April 2020
“The ridiculous attention to me continues; fan clubs, Swags, am constantly on TV”
Faucoi remarks about the fuss arrive in the first two months… and hen the diary goes quiet about the attention while the ledger keeps growing for another two and a half years.
THE BRAND EXPANDS
May–June 2020
22 Linguine with white clam sauce - A Long Island clam bar named its signature dish after him.
23 - A racehorse named Fauci runs at Belmont Park - Went off as the 4-to-5 betting favorite.
23 THE AWARD SEASON
October–November 2020
24 Time 100 — ranked #1 in Leaders - Top of Time’s Leaders category.
25 - Leonardo da Vinci Award A celebrity tribute reel accompanied the honor.
December 2020
People Person of the Year - Alongside Clooney, Gomez, and King.
27 Kate McKinnon begins a recurring SNL impersonation
28 Eleanor Roosevelt Prize - Qmerican Bar Association.
29 Sicilian of the Year Award - I Love Sicilia magazine.
30 Mother Teresa Award 0 Harmony Foundation.
“Extraordinary enthusiastic reception… totally mobbed for selfies.”
Imagine a child is up, in the middle of the night, secretly playing with matches. He accidentally starts the house on fire. As the blaze rages out of control he runs through the house waking his family. They manage to barely escape, and the child is hailed as a hero. His picture is in the paper. He is commended in front of his school. But all the while he knows investigators are trying to determine the cause of the blaze. Sometimes he lies awake at night wondering what will happen if they discover he is actually the one who started the fire.
A sick society idolizes lunatics.