What is this guy wearing and why?

A mask might also be more popular for someone who’s taking especial care to not catch a cold. Which is reasonable for someone who makes a living using their voice.

Well, so much for that…

There are some laws on the books that make masks illegal, but they were more targeted to the KKK sort of mask.

Pretty sure it was due to SARS.

It was a ***Seinfeld ***reference.

Cite.

I sit corrected, although the first paragraph of that article backs up where I got my impression.

It’s a reasonable assumption but I recall seeing WWII photos of Japanese civilians in masks.

And mine was a Simpsons reference. Bazinga!

I did! I got that reference!

Bumped because I thought it was interesting to see a photo of Ralph Yarl essentially recreating the image from the OP. (At least the black mask on the chin bit.)