Philly’s own ‘Pizza Groundhog’ goes viral, gets shoutouts from Jimmy Kimmel and Trevor Noah

A month into the coronavirus shutdown, this week has been full of bad news, from hospitals nearing capacity to national unemployment numbers reaching 21.7 million.

But our nation has found the perfect antidote to these trying times, and it’s right here in the City of Brotherly Love.

Yes, we’re talking about Pizza Groundhog.

Earlier this week, Kristin Chalela Bagnell‎ sent 6ABC a video of the furry creature methodically munching on a cold slice of pizza while staring into her Philadelphia home through a sliding glass door. In the clip, her two dogs stare back at the groundhog, who continues chewing unfazed.

Since then, the chunky rodent has gone viral. The animal cut through partisan noise, appearing on CNN and Fox News and giving popular late night comedians such as Jimmy Kimmel and Trevor Noah feel-good material that doesn’t involve politics or the pandemic.

In the Thursday monologue of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Kimmel called the video “a glimmer of beauty in these grim and depressing times” and quipped that he thinks a groundhog eating pizza “means we have another two weeks of home confinement.”

“It kind of looks like me every night for the last three weeks," Kimmel said.

He also referenced the frequent comparison to New York’s Pizza Rat, which became a viral sensation in 2015 after dragging a large slice of pizza down the steps of a subway station. But given rats have a short life expectancy, he said, “the Pizza Rat is dead. ... Sorry, is now a bad time for that information?”

To which a chorus of Philly faithful replied on social media: No, this is the moment for our Pizza Groundhog and only our Pizza Groundhog.

The official Twitter account of the Pennsylvania government even weighed in, tweeting at New York City, “we see your pizza rat and raise you one pizza groundhog.”

On The Daily Show, Noah called the animal “a legend.”

“He’s just eating that pizza right in their faces,” he said. “You know he’s not going to stop with those dogs, right? You can see in that little groundhog’s eyes, he’s getting cocky."

“I bet next week he’s going to come back and start taunting us humans," he added. "He’s going to set up a little brunch outside the window with all his friends.”

Chalela Bagnell‎ could not be reached Friday for comment on whether her quarantine visitor has returned. Neither could Pizza Groundhog. His motive and future plans remain unclear.