Tom Hanks jokes about his COVID-19 battle in 'Saturday Night Live'

Tom Hanks talked about his experience recovering from COVID-19 in Australia and joked about how people have been avoiding him during his opening monologue for "Saturday Night Live: At Home."

In his pre-taped intro which was filmed at his home in Los Angeles, Hanks made light of his battle with COVID-19 and joked about being a host on the comedy show because he is "the celebrity canary in the coal mine for the coronavirus." The Oscar-winner likewise poked fun at himself and said that he has "been more like America's dad than ever before" ever since his diagnosis. He shared that people want to avoid him as much as possible.

"No one wants to be around me very long, and I make people uncomfortable," the "Forrest Gump" star shared on the video posted on the show's Twitter page. He then talked about his experience getting medical care in Australia.

"Now, the folks in Australia are fantastic in every way, but they use Celsius instead of Fahrenheit when they take your temperature. So, when they came in and said, 'You're 36,' it seemed very bad to me. It turns out 36 is fine. 38 is bad. So basically, it's how Hollywood treats female actors," Hanks shared.

The 63-year old reassured everyone that he and his wife, Rita Wilson, have now recovered from COVID-19. They are "doing fine" and are "hunkered down" like everyone else staying at their homes amid the pandemic. He then joked about how self-isolation made him forget how buttons work, and that his wife had to help him with his suit for "Saturday Night Live: At Home." He said the stint on the show is the first time he has worn anything other than sweat pants since their diagnosis on March 11.

In keeping with the jolly mood of the show, Hanks dressed in silly costumes to continue with the show's question and answer portion with the audience. He also introduced viewers to the new format of the show, which will feature the cast quarantined in their respective homes. He assured fans that despite it looking "a little different" than what they are used to, he assured that the show will continue to make people laugh.

Hanks closed out his "Saturday Night Live: At Home" spiel with a reminder to take care of each other and to show gratitude to the first responders, hospital workers, supermarket stockers, and everyone on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic.