Julia Roberts calls Fauci ‘beacon for us’ while presenting him with courage award

Actress Julia Roberts heaped praise on Dr. Anthony Fauci while presenting him with an award for courage during a virtual Foundation for AIDS Research event.

“You’ve been tireless and true for all of us, and I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Roberts said to Fauci when presenting him with the award. “You have been a beacon for us.”

Roberts said there was “no one more deserving” of being honored for his work than Fauci, who has continued research on fighting AIDS during the coronavirus pandemic.

“Thank you so much, Julia. Those are such very kind words. I really do appreciate them. Coming from you, that really means a lot to me,” Fauci said.

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Fauci said it was an honor to receive the award, but he also wanted to “make sure that we tip our hat” to front-line workers, such as healthcare workers, who “very bravely, every day, put their lives and safety on the line.”

“I might be a bit more visible than they are, but what they do is equally as important,” Fauci said.

Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, has been a familiar sight for many over the last year as the country has continued to battle the coronavirus pandemic. As an adviser to both former President Donald Trump and President Biden, Fauci has been a frequent guest on cable news and at White House news conferences, where he has updated the public on the latest government guidance and given his thoughts on the nation’s battle against the disease.

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But his frequent run-ins with Trump and his changing guidance for masks have also earned Fauci his share of critics, with some calling his expertise or his motivations into question.

The virtual event is scheduled to be released to viewers on March 4.