Nowadays, glimpses into some of the most private moments of celebrities are practically unavoidable, from Kourtney Kardashian broadcasting the birth of her first child to Ashley Benson taking pictures while at the dentist. Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney take it a step further by shooting a pretty private moment.
Reynolds and McElhenney, who are actors, best friends, and co-owners of a Welsh soccer team, filmed a significant portion of their colonoscopies and anesthesia-induced recoveries to raise awareness of colorectal cancer screenings.
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Ryan Reynolds Has Colonoscopy On Camera To Raise Awareness About Colon Cancer
The American Cancer Society advises starting routine tests at age 45 for persons with an average risk of colorectal cancer. The two joined forces with Lead From Behind, a brand-new project that promotes the idea that colon cancer is “the preventable cancer,” to increase awareness. In a video made available on Tuesday, they clarified why they had chosen to film their operations: Reynolds had lost a bet. McElhenney wasn’t supposed to be able to learn Welsh, so the two made a bet on it. Reynolds, who seemed to be so certain he wouldn’t, reportedly promised to “publicly broadcast his colonoscopy” if McElhenney could disprove him. He ended up losing the bet. McElhenney chose to record his colonoscopy as well, though, because he’s a good sport like that.
“I’ve been on camera a lot. But this was the first time one was shoved up my ass,” Reynolds said in a statement. “The procedure and prep were painless but the discomfort of filming and sharing the process was the hardest part. Rob and I did it because we want this potentially lifesaving procedure to be less mysterious and stigmatized.” To this McElhenney added “Ryan and I both turned 45 this year and this is just a rite of passage, and a great one because it can literally save your life. It’s obviously a procedure that makes people uncomfortable but it sure beats getting cancer. We wanted to have fun with this because as with all the weird things that happen in life, why not make it fun instead of scary?”
On the right side of Reynolds’ colon, a very small polyp that the doctor described as “potentially lifesaving” was ultimately removed. Additionally, three little polyps were surgically removed from McElhenney’s colon.
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How Did Ryan And Rob McElhenney Meet?
When the ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ actor hosted ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’, the two co-owners of the Welsh football club Wrexham AFC spoke about how they came to buy the soccer team. Reynolds first contacted McElhenney via Instagram after seeing Mac’s iconic dance scene from ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.’ Without ever really meeting in person, the two became friends.
They then decided, in an insane move, to buy a European football team jointly. On their upcoming Welcome to Wrexham FX docuseries, we’ll discover precisely how that happened. But if this interview—which also covered their disparities in height, their difficulties picking up soccer’s regulations, and more—is anything to go by, it ought to be an amusing program.
