Kim and Penn Holderness are back with another hilarious parody song — and this time the couple who brought you “Christmas Jammies” is tackling the vaccine rollout.
In the video, Penn sings “Come On Vaccine” to the tune of the popular '80s hit “Come On Eileen” while his wife, Kim, dances in the background.
The spoofed lyrics cover everything from vaccine ingredients to herd immunity, as well as notable celebrities to protect from the coronavirus.
“Don’t care what’s in it, it could be made of s--- and I’d take it — so come on, vaccine ...” Penn sings before tackling less-than-desirable items he has consumed over the years, like McDonald’s McRibs and Mad Dog Kiwi Lime, without consequence.
Kim, seen dancing, chimes in, “Seriously ... hot dog water ... give it to me!”
“I’ve done a lot of gross stuff in life,” Kim Holderness told TODAY Parents in an interview about the new parody, recounting a time where she bowled and ate nachos simultaneously. “I’m trusting this is the least of my worries.”
For the family, their reasoning is backed by both science and emotion.
“My parents are in skilled nursing and in our state, half the deaths have come from skilled nursing units,” Penn Holderness told TODAY Parents. “I’ve been a stress ball about it, but we’ve been thinking about the vaccine a lot.”
On Jan. 13, Penn’s parents received their first dose of the vaccine.
“I started crying,” Penn said, adding that workers from the facility sent photos of his parents receiving their dose. “We haven't been able to see them. There feels like a light at the end of the tunnel.”
The family, known to tackle less controversial topics like Christmas pajamas and adulting, felt it was important to support the suggestions of science and health care workers.
“We are doing what the scientists are telling us to do — and the scientists are saying it’s safe,” Kim said.
Comments flooded their social media pages as soon as the video, which had been shared more than 11,000 times at the time of reporting, went live. With such a polarizing topic, the duo prepared for kickback.
“We were bracing ourselves, because there are always opinions when there is a vaccine,” Kim said. “My aunt was diagnosed with polio one year before the vaccine was developed. We are vaccine people and we know that means dealing with people who aren't.”
The response has been mostly positive. One follower wrote, “I LOVE THIS. You guys rock! Thank you for starting my day with a huge smile.”
Another chimed in: “You guys are killing it. I have listened twice and I just woke up. Thank you for giving me the umph to get up and teach my students today. You are AWESOME!”
Still, there have been negative comments as well.
“As long as the comments are respectful, we aren’t going to delete anything or take anything down,” Penn said. “As long as we don’t see them as dangerous or inciting something. Part of social media is giving your opinion. We gave our opinion. We’ve heard from anti-vaxxers before. So far it hasn’t been that bad.”
With such a large following, the duo gave kudos to their social community in self-policing when it comes to critical commentary.
“We have a good amount of doctors who have given the shot and received the shot and give real experience about what’s going on,” Penn said.
While the video itself was imagined and produced in a single night, the Holdernesses’ goal has always been lighthearted fun, regardless of the topic.
“Our goal is to help people laugh in these crazy times,” Penn said. “Be safe, believe in science, and try to find as many reasons to laugh as you can. ... Without a sense of humor it's tough enough to get through this, so it's a good idea to keep that if you can.”
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