A resurfaced video of late actor Robin Williams’ mom “making him belly laugh” has gone viral—much to the joy of fans who say it “never gets old.”
The video clip, which is now trending on X, formerly Twitter, comes from a 1984 Mother’s Day special titled Superstars and Their Moms, which Williams and his mother Laurie McLaurin featured in. As part of the special, Williams and McLaurin played a tennis match before having a casual interview together.
In the viral clip, Williams tells the camera that his mother has a “wonderful gag” where she makes the sound of cutting a rubber band in half and pretends to pull it out of her nose.
Taking her son by surprise, McLaurin then performs the trick to camera, much to Williams’s delight. The Mrs Doubtfire actor yells: “oh ma, you’re going to do this,” before descending into laughter.
The clip was posted to the social media platform by user @historyinmemes, alongside the caption: “This video of Robin Williams’ mom making him belly laugh never gets old.” Fans were overjoyed to see the clip making the rounds again, with the post receiving over 3.1 million views and 26,100 likes.
“Love it, contagious laughter,” wrote one social media user.
Another commented: “There’s something so heartwarming about seeing a grown man reduced to giggles by his mom’s silly antics. It just goes to show that no matter how famous or successful you become, you never outgrow the love and humor of your family. Williams’ mom clearly had a special way of bringing out his childlike wonder and joy.”
Others remarked that Williams’ laugh was “so joyful” and that “comedy seems to run in the family.”
During an Inside the Actors Studio episode in 2001, Williams credited his sense of humor to his mother, saying that he used to try and be funny to get her attention as a child.
Recognized as one of the greatest comedians worldwide, Williams was well known for his roles in such as Good Morning Vietnam, Dead Poets Society and Disney animation Aladdin.
In 1997, he won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as Dr. Sean Maguire in Good Will Hunting.
Tragically, Williams died by suicide in 2014 at the age of 63. The final autopsy report revealed Williams had a diagnosis of Lewy body dementia.
Prior to his death, Williams had been struggling with insomnia, anxiety and mood changes. He was misdiagnosed with Parkinson’s.
Following his posthumous diagnosis of Lewy body dementia, his wife Susan Schneider Williams told CNN: “None of the doctors knew that there was this ghost disease underlying all of this. When that was revealed, that was like essentially finding out the name of my husband’s killer.”
Who Was Robin Williams’ Mom Laurie McLaurin?
Born in Mississippi in 1922, McLaurin had a multifaceted career. She worked as a fashion model and was a lithography student.
In her obituary, the SF Gate noted she worked as a part-time actress appearing in TV commercials and a senior’s exercise video.
McLaurin was married to Williams’ father, Robert Fitzgerald, a senior executive at Ford, for 37 years before his death in 1987.
She died from heart failure in September 2001 at her home in Tiburon, California.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text “988” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.
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