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People care more about Anthony Fauci’s bookshelf than his coronavirus testimony

By
Gabrielle Fonrouge
Published May 12, 2020
Updated May 12, 2020, 4:59 p.m. ET

Rad CD player!

Dr. Anthony Fauci’s vast book collection and disk spinner from the 1990s were the talk of Twitter on Tuesday as he and others testified from home on the government’s coronavirus response. 

“One weird and somewhat endearing aspect of the Senate hearings is that we get to peek into Dr. Fauci’s and Senator Warren’s home offices and they both have piles of books stacked. No fake backsplashes,” Twitter user Karen_E_Bender wrote.

The unusual inside looks played out on national television Tuesday when Fauci, Dr. Robert Redfield from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Food and Drug Administration boss Dr. Stephen Hahn testified before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee from their homes. 

CDC Director Robert Redfield's room had cluttered shelves with books, photos and coffee mugs.
CDC Director Robert Redfield’s room has cluttered shelves with books, photos and coffee mugs.REUTERS

Twitter went wild for Fauci’s book collection — so large it didn’t fit on his shelves — while they tried to figure out the titles.

“I want to know what every single book is so badly,” Sky Stevens tweeted. 

At least one of the books appears to be Ron Chernow’s analysis of Alexander Hamilton, but the rest of the books, many stacked in a haphazard pile on the floor, were unreadable. 

“I appreciate Fauci has a pile of books that is blocking another pile of books. Very relatable content,” Kevin Reuning added. 

The Twitterverse also remarked on Fauci’s weathered Persian rug, his cluttered desk and an ancient CD player that screamed “90s professorial,” Jaimy Lee wrote.

Further in the background, a mysterious possible IT technician is shown lurking behind a door in a mask.

When Redfield testified, Twitter users were quick to point out the myriad of tchotchkes adorning his bookcases. 

“Fauci et al’s testimony before senate on coronavirus response is very important and serious, but I gotta ask. What’s this thing on Redfield’s shelf? A hat?” Dr. Leigh Krietsch Boerner wrote in reference to an inexplicable technicolor hat on the far right of his bookshelf. 

“Bob Redfield 100% took his action figures off that bookshelf,” Charlie J. Johnson tweeted. 

Among dusty books, faded photographs and random statues gracing the bookcases in front of Redfield’s bright teal walls were items Twitter users couldn’t readily make out — with one calling it a “hot mess.” 

“I’m 50% sure there’s a bong there somewhere behind him,” Richard James tweeted. 

Meanwhile, Hahn’s background proved the most enigmatic when he appeared before a blurry, bright backdrop that looked like an out-of-focus photo of a sterile, modern apartment filled with right angles, dust-free corners and not a trinket in sight. 

“Is Stephen Hahn conferencing in from Heaven?” Kevin McGrath wrote. 

“Dr. Stephen Hahn is zooming in from the afterlife,” Aggies1960 added.

FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn blurred his background while testifying.
FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn blurred his background while testifying.REUTERS

“Dr. Stephen Hahn’s on-screen image looks like a gauzy visage from a sci-fi movie about seeing people on the ‘other side’..,” Chris Morris tweeted.

“Dr. Stephen Hahn, FDA Commissioner, testifying from Purgatory,” quipped Thomas Fant.

It turns out the background is not a livestream from the great beyond, but a Getty stock image, according to Andrew P. Scott, a photo director for USA Today.