The former "Most Interesting Man in the World" who appeared in Dos Equis beer commercials for nine years is lending his gravelly voice and bearded face to a Vermont cause: Make-a-Wish Foundation Vermont.
Jonathan Goldsmith will star in public service announcements for the organization, which grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions.
The Mexican beer brand recently dropped the 77-year-old, New York-born actor and says a younger "Most Interesting Man in the World" will appear in commercials later this year.
Goldsmith, who lives in Manchester, Vermont, has worked on a number of charitable causes throughout his career and has been involved with at-risk kids since he was 18, he said Monday.
"In fact, I really wanted to be a social worker. I wanted that to be my life's work, but a circuitous route took me to Broadway," he told The Associated Press.
On Monday, he and Wish Kid Jamie Heath of Barre, Vermont, recorded public service announcements for television and the Internet focused on spreading the word that Make-A-Wish helps not just children with terminal conditions but also those with life-threatening conditions where a wish can help in the healing process.
Jamie, who has an arteriovenous malformation in her brain that has caused hemorrhaging and strokes, knows firsthand how the wishes help to heal after swimming with sea turtles in Hawaii last April through Make-A-Wish Vermont.
"It was awesome. I will never forget the joy that that brought me," said the 15-year-old.
"It let me run away for a week. And when I got back, I felt I no longer had to run away. You know I was ready to accept my condition and my disabilities," said Jamie, who also speaks at Make-A-Wish fundraising events.
Canada orders TikTok’s Canadian business to be dissolved but won’t block app
Canada announced Wednesday it won't block access to the popular video-sharing app TikTok but is ordering the dissolution of its Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind it.
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said it is meant to address risks related to ByteDance Ltd.'s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.
"The government is not blocking Canadians' access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content. The decision to use a social media application or platform is a personal choice," Champagne said.
Champagne said it is important for Canadians to adopt good cybersecurity practices, including protecting their personal information.
He said the dissolution order was made in accordance with the Investment Canada Act, which allows for the review of foreign investments that may harm Canada's national security. He said the decision was based on information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada's security and intelligence community and other government partners.
A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of local jobs.
"We will challenge this order in court," the spokesperson said. "The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive."
TikTok is wildly popular with young people, but its Chinese ownership has raised fears that Beijing could use it to collect data on Western users or push pro-China narratives and misinformation. TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company that moved its headquarters to Singapore in 2020.
TikTok faces intensifying scrutiny... Read More