Tom Hanks Turns Colonoscopy Prep Into An Unusual Ritual With Two Other A-Listers

Ain't no party like a colonoscopy prep party? Actor Tom Hanks made headlines when he gave never-before-heard details about an arguably very unusual pre-colonoscopy ritual he shares with fellow A-listers Steve Martin and Martin Short. "About every five years, that magic date comes around, and we get together and eat clear Jell-O and compete as to who is gonna be able to be the last one to go to the bathroom," the 70-year-old "Toy Story" star told host Jimmy Kimmel during an appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" in June. "And it is mano a mano, man," Hanks declared. 

The story goes that the actors drink the pre-colonoscopy solution prescribed by their doctor to cleanse their digestive system, then duke it out for bragging rights as the last one standing before heading to the toilet. "We're all just fighting and playing cards because the first one to go gets the last choice of when you go in to get the colonoscopy," he said. "The last one to go gets a choice. So everybody is like, 'No, I'm... I gotta go!' And then you go, and you can't hold it," Hanks explained. That's certainly one way to make colonoscopy prep a more tolerable experience. Consider this our official signature on the petition to add a card game with friends to the list of expert tips on what to do the night before a colonoscopy. 

Interestingly enough, this is not the first time the A-listers have talked about their colonoscopy prep parties with Jimmy Kimmel. It was actually Steve Martin and Martin Short who first spilled the beans on the ritual during their own joint appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" in 2018. "We go to Steve's house around 5 p.m. the night before — we call it Colonoscopy Eve in Canada — and it's catered," Short said. "There's Jell-O. There's not much — you have to purge all that. And then we toast," he revealed. "By 10 p.m., the bathroom looks like Day 14 of a Carnival cruise," Short joked.

No food other than clear gelatin at an A-lister party? No caviar? No champagne? No chocolate fountains? Unusual, indeed. But why exactly? While there are two phases of dieting in preparation for a colonoscopy, the second phase requires adhering to an all-liquid diet, including the aforementioned clear gelatin. "Phase two of the colonoscopy diet starts the day before your colonoscopy," Dr. Joseph J. Jennings, gastroenterologist at MedStar Health, told Health Digest in 2023 while discussing all the foods to eat and avoid before a colonoscopy. "For that entire day, you have to be on a clear liquid diet. This means you can drink water, caffeinated beverages like tea and coffee without any dairy creamer/milk, sports drinks, and juices that do not contain any solid components of the fruit." 

And just in case you were wondering — that wasn't even close to the trio's first rodeo when it comes to their colonoscopy party ritual. Martin and Short indicated that this is something they had been doing for a while, referencing the guidance from the American College of Gastroenterology advising that you should get your first colonoscopy at age 45. Cheers to colon health!