Mel Brooks was trending on Twitter today.
Don’t worry: it’s because it’s his 96th birthday, but we don’t blame you if your mind leapt to the worst-case scenario. Twitter user @MysterySteve said it best: “Haven’t been this scared seeing someone’s name trending since Betty White.”
White passed away and spurred much Twitter activity on Dec. 31, 2021, less than a month shy of her 100th birthday. Brooks is catching up to White, joining her in the extremely small club of Hollywood’s near-centenarians. Since there are basically two reasons why a near-centenarian would be trending on Twitter, the better of which happened to Brooks today, we wonder if Twitter should put a “birthday” disclaimer next to trending elderly stars to prevent users from thinking the worst.
Perhaps us catastrophizers are a small minority, though, as most users wished the showbiz legend a happy birthday without any mention of worry.
Celebrities got in on the action as well.
Brooks’ career has spanned eight decades and has involved virtually every aspect of media production from writing to directing to producing to composing to acting. His filmography includes such celebrated works as Spaceballs, Blazing Saddles, The Producers, Young Frankenstein, History of the World, Part I, and Robin Hood: Men in Tights. Last year, Brooks padded his resume with a book, All About Me!, which tells of his “remarkable life in showbusiness.”
That’s he’s alive and well at 96 is the best part of his resume. Happy birthday, Mel!