Dr. Anthony Fauci doesnt love how he became an icon during the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

The former chief White House medical advisor told BBC he was uncomfortable with both the over the top adulation and the over the top hate he received after becoming a central figure in the fight against COVID-19.

Were living in an era of profound divisiveness, he told the network about his public perception.

I dont like the extremes, Fauci went on. It is not realistic, that doughnuts are made with my face on them, candles with my picture on them. That is weird. And thats not positive.

He seemed especially perplexed by the idea of being a sex symbol, telling interviewer Katty Kay the status was not something I aspired to.

Fauci has been a polarizing figure since rising to prominence during the onset of the pandemic in 2020, and has since become a target for conservative lawmakers unhappy with the governments response.

He was celebrated by others, and the doctor said those who perhaps took their adulation too far were likely in search of comfort and sober facts during the depths of COVID.