How Seth Rogen Is Getting Millennials To Rally Against Alzheimer's
Cover story for Mediaplanet’s “Fighting Alzheimer’s” issue, published with USA Today.
Seth Rogen and Lauren Miller photographed backstage at Hilarity for Charity.
Alzheimer's disease ranks as the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, claiming more lives annually than breast and prostate cancer combined. While these statistics are far from amusing, comedian Seth Rogen and his wife, actress Lauren Miller, have pioneered a charity centered around comedy. Together, they aim to illuminate and inject a bit of lightness into a condition that could very well touch us all.
Where it started
Three years into their relationship, Seth and Lauren learned that Lauren's mother, Adele, had early-onset Alzheimer's. She was only 55.
"When she was first diagnosed, we were just devastated," Lauren recalls. Alzheimer's wasn't a stranger to her family; the disease claimed her grandfather's life, and her grandmother died from it six years later. "When we found out, we felt hopeless and powerless."
Seth and Lauren established Hilarity for Charity in 2011, an organization dedicated to educating millennials about the dangers of Alzheimer's disease. Every year, the couple invites their funniest friends and colleagues to participate in a televised fundraising event featuring stand-up comedy and live music.
"It's what we know how to do. We work in comedy, so it was a natural fit," Lauren explains.
"Yeah, because honestly, we have no other skills," Seth jokes.
“What we’ve found is that almost everyone is already connected to dementia in some way, be it through a family member or a parent of a friend.”
Seth, now 36, hopes that the show's format will encourage young viewers to participate in the Alzheimer's conversation, noting that comedy "draws people into thinking about things they wouldn't otherwise be thinking about."
A THREAT TO EVERY GENERATION
According to the Alzheimer's Association, a projected 13.8 million Americans over age 65 will have Alzheimer's by 2050.
"What we've found is that almost everyone is already connected to dementia in some way, be it through some family member or a parent of a friend," Seth explains. "That's been the most overwhelming — the amount of people who do have connections to [the disease]."
Over the past seven years, Hilarity for Charity has raised over $7.5 million for Alzheimer's research and advocacy efforts. Now, Seth and Lauren are urging elected officials to do their part.
"We were told a number of years ago that one of the greatest obstacles in [developing] a cure or treatment is that young scientists aren't going into the field of dementia research because the funding isn't there," Lauren explains. "It's important for the government to get behind funding research and for young researchers to go into the field. We need more scientists working towards treatments and cures."
Seth agrees, adding that to successfully effect change, millennial voters must vocalize their concerns.
"Politicians want to get elected and stay in power. If it's not an issue that people are vocal about, then it's not an issue they care about."
This year's Hilarity for Charity show is now streaming on Netflix, and features appearances by Michael Che, James Corden, Tiffany Haddish, Kumail Nanjiani and the Muppets. ■