Every Time Randy Rainbow Parodied the COVID-19 Pandemic

Randy Rainbow has made a career out of lampooning politicians. Whether in his endless jabs at former President Donald Trump, or his ridicule of right-wing politicians such as Marjorie Taylor Greene, Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham, Rainbow spares no syllables when it comes to going after Republican figureheads.

But Rainbow’s comedic world was interrupted in March 2020 along with the rest of the world, when the COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down. Stuck inside and being able to focus on nothing other than the constant terror of the virus, Rainbow switched up his style. While still going after the U.S. government’s inaction over the rapid spread of COVID-19, the viral comedian had a new punching bag that everyone could get behind.

But what exactly did he have to say about COVID-19? Below, Billboard compiles every video in which Rainbow focuses his razor-sharp wit on the infectious disease.

“The Coronavirus Lament”

Right at the outset of global shutdowns thanks to the virus, Rainbow was ready to go with a hilarious diatribe against Trump, who at the time was severely downplaying the severity of the situation. Spinning “Adelaide’s Lament” from Guys & Dolls into a tongue-in-cheek commentary on the Trump administration, media coverage of his comments, and his own quarantine-induced mental state. “If the experts assembled to save you are led by a bunch of jerks/ A person can develop a cold,” he sang.

“Social Distance”

Just a week later, as it became apparent that COVID wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, Rainbow decided to “do [his] doody (sp?)” to his country by urging his followers to “Social Distance.” Making light of the less-than-ideal circumstances of being trapped in your own home, his Hercules parody saw the comedian sarcastically boosting his own ego, as he promised to “save the day” by staying inside.

“Andy”

Well, this one aged like milk. A year before an investigation found that Andrew Cuomo had sexually harassed multiple women during his time in office, the former New York governor had become a popular voice of reason regarding COVID-19 around the country. Rainbow certainly took notice of this newfound popularity, flipping Grease’s “Sandy” into a lovestruck ode to the governor, even coining the then-popular phrase “Cuomosexual.”

“A Spoonful of Clorox”

Remember that time when Trump suggested injecting disinfectant could help kill the COVID-19 virus? Rainbow certainly does, seeing as he turned the Mary Poppins classic “A Spoonful of Sugar” into a chaos-fueled caricature of the then-president’s statements. Rainbow, of course, took the metaphor as far as he could, suggesting putting “Pledge on your pancakes,” “bleach in your beer,” and even shoving “a flashlight up your a–.”

“Distraction”

As the world continued to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, in May 2020, Trump accused former president Barack Obama of trying to hurt his presidency. Rainbow, however, simply saw “Obamagate” as a “Distraction” from the fact that Trump’s administration was failing spectacularly at preventing the spread of the virus, so he parodied Fiddler on the Roof to get his point across. “Thousands of people dying on your watch/ And who is it you’re thinking of?/ Obama,” he warbled.

“Cover Your Freakin’ Face”

Even three months into the pandemic, Trump still refused to wear a face mask in public, so Rainbow decided to remind him why that was a bad idea. Spoofing Bye Bye Birdie’s “Put on a Happy Face,” Rainbow quite literally begged the president to “Cover Your Freakin’ Face” … while also getting some occasional jabs in about his appearance. “You’re siding with the virus/ ‘Cause you’re a virus,  too,” he sang through his patent glued-on smile.

“Gee, Anthony Fauci”

Not all of Rainbow’s parodies were so gloomy. After watching Dr. Anthony Fauci become a leader in getting the American people to take the virus seriously and follow CDC guidelines, the comedian decided to give him his due with a West Side Story-inspired ode. Of course, Rainbow couldn’t help but spend a couple of verses taking shots at the president and his daughter Ivanka for their botched attempts at spreading misinformation. But in the end, he always came back to Dr. Fauci with nothing but praise.

“Mr. Biden (Bring My Vaccine)” 

After taking a brief respite from his coronavirus parodies to deal with  the 2020 election, Rainbow returned in March 2021 to offer some advice to the new president, Joe Biden: Keep the vaccines coming. For his take on The Chordettes’ “Mr. Sandman,” Rainbow begged Biden to ramp up the production of the COVID-19 vaccine, as they were in very short supply for the first few months of release. “I’m so tired of quarantine/ Mr. Biden, bring my vaccine,” he sang.

“The Tango: Vaccine”

While his first video under the Biden presidency was an impassioned plea, “The Tango: Vaccine” was an all-out middle finger to right-wing politicians and pundits spreading misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine. Using the melodies of Rent’s “Tango: Maureen,” Rainbow railed against Ted Cruz, Joe Rogan, Tucker Carlson, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Rand Paul and everyone else who has decried the vaccine, singing, “We we don’t stand a chance/ While we’re stuck in this dance/ It’s called the Tango: Vaccine.”