Emilio Estevez long suffered with an illness that quite literally brought the world to a halt.
Part of the “Brat Pack” of the 1980s, Estevez has had a lengthy acting career as well as directing and writing numerous projects.
Just a few years ago, he became seriously ill. And that illness has unfortunatly lingered.
What does he have? And did it play a role in losing out on a major acting role?
Emilio Estevez attends the “The Public” New York Premiere at New York Public Library – A Schwartzman Building on April 01, 2019. (Photo Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
What illness does Emilio Estevez have?
On March 17, 2020, Emilio Estevez received his diagnosis of COVID-19.
People who travel a lot, who live in major cities, who interact with countless people in many fields every single day were among the first to catch the horrific virus.
Estevez survived the deadly virus, unlike at least 1.2 million Americans (and those are, sadly, only the confirmed COVID deaths). However, as with countless others, he found that his illness had long-term complications.
Emilio Estevez speaks onstage during WE Day UN 2019 at Barclays Center on September 25, 2019. (Photo Credit: Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for WE Day)
Many of us know someone with this same condition
It turned out that Emilio Estevez was left with an illness that he has referred to as “Long Haul Syndrome.” More commonly, we know this as Long COVID. He admitted that he suffered from everything, including “fever, sweats, brain fog and mood swings.”
He mentioned this — among other things — in a lengthy statement to Deadline in 2021 while describing his departure from the Mighty Ducks sequel series. It is unclear just how much of a recovery he has made since this statement.
However, he has been well enough in the last year to promote the rerelease of his 2011 movie, The Way, as well as film scenes for the documentary about the Brat Pack. (More on that in a bit.)
Estevez did not return for Season 2 of the Disney project. Amidst reports that he was objecting to COVID regulations on set, he insisted that he was leaving over “creative differences” and a “good old fashioned contract dispute.”
Emilio Estevez attends WE Day California at The Forum on April 25, 2019. (Photo Credit: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)
So Emilio Estevez left ‘Mighty Ducks’ for normal reasons?
He also specifically denied being “anti-vaxx,” despite the reports at the time that Disney fired him for refusing to comply with coronavirus precautions.
According to Estevez, he was “often teased about my continued following of the safety protocols and my abundance of caution.”
While Emilio Estevez did not volunteer his vaccination status in that autumnal letter to Deadline, that’s still good to hear. Even the Brat Pack can have some political weirdos among its ranks. And while Estevez could be leaving something out, most anti-vaxxers tend to be alarmingly vocal. They don’t hide it.
Emilio Estevez was part of Hulu’s ‘Brats’ documentary on the Brat Pack
Though some iconic ’80s coming-of-age stars like Molly Ringwald and Judd Nelson opted out, others — including A-listers like Demi Moore — chose to participate in the project.
The heavy dose of 1980s nostalgia is well-timed. The past several years have seen an abundance of projects that seek to recapture that polarizing decade. For some Millennials, it seems reminiscent of the ’90s fascination with the 1960s.
It makes sense to get a lot of this group of memorable actors to reflect upon their slice of entertainment history. Emilio Estevez was certainly part of that.
Emilio Estevez Reveals Battle With Long-Term Illness: His Health Today was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.