Planet of the Apes' Dr. Zaius monkeys around with Jimmy Kimmel in virus safety interview

Coming all the way from the ape-torn future, Dr. Zaius stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live! to instruct the human race on safety precautions against the novel coronavirus. Monkey aficionados will probably recognize him as the domineering Minister of Science and Chief Defender of the Faith from 1968's Planet of the Apes.

Kimmel preceded the interview by stating that his nightly talk show was able to get ahold of Dr. Anthony Fauci, leader of President Donald Trump's federal coronavirus task force. In a comedic twist, Zaius (played in full prosthetics by comedian Dana Gould) showed up and explained that he replaced Fauci out of nepotism because Zaius and Trump are cousins.

"Of course he is [half orangutan]!" Zaius exclaimed. "No human would have a fantastic head of orange hair like that!" He went on to say that we should all wear masks, not because it helps prevent a spread of the pathogen, but because they do a good job of obscuring our "ugly faces."

Pull up a bushel of bananas and watch the hilarity ensue below. The Zaius segment begins at 6:43.

Played by Maurice Evans in the 1968 movie, Dr. Zaius tried to cover up evidence of human civilization on Earth, going so far as to threaten George Taylor (Chartlon Heston) with castration and a lobotomization if he continued to spout wild theories about where he came from.

Twitter recently drew parallels between Planet of the Apes and real life when a drop in tourism caused by the virus led to a rampage of hungry monkeys in the streets of Thailand.

The simian-centric franchise will return to the big screen under Maze Runner director Wes Ball.

This story presents some humorous responses to coronavirus, but COVID-19 is very real! Please exercise caution out there: Wash those hands, stay at home, and practice social distancing. For extensive information on how to keep you and your loved ones safe, check out the CDC’s coronavirus website.