Former US President Obama teamed up with late-night host Jimmy Kimmel to encourage people to support the fight against AIDS on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
"This World AIDS Day, everyone has a role to play," Obama said in a video. "Jimmy Kimmel's not just a talk-show host, he's an activist. Bono's not just a musician, he's ring master of a whole shopping extravaganza. And me, I'm not just a former president. I'm a husband who hasn't done his Christmas shopping yet."
He said that cable news and Twitter feeds can "make it feel like cynicism is everywhere. When it comes to the fight against HIV/AIDS, there's some genuinely good news to share."
“For the first time in history, more than half of all people living with the virus are on life-saving medication. Since the peak of the virus, AIDS-related deaths have been cut in half. Today, more than 20 million people around the world are on medication that make it possible to work and raise HIV-free children.
"It sounds like a miracle, but it's not the result of mysterious forces or chance. It happened because countless people working for years chose to make this process," Obama said.
Some victims, he said, had wealth and influence and some held public office. "But far more were simply citizens," Obama said, listing organizers, activists, doctors and "courageous people living with HIV who led the fight to spare others the anguish of this disease."
Obama urged people to help support the effort. "And if you do, you can pilot Air Force One for a day," Obama joked, before retracting that statement and saying: "If you do, I'll share our files on the aliens."
He said people watching can help to end this pandemic once and for all. "You can help us win this fight. You can help us change lives and write a future full of progress and hope, so let's all get to work," he said.
Jimmy Kimmel Live will air on Star World & Star World HD Monday through Friday at 11 PM.