Tanea Brooks, best known to wrestling audiences as Rebel, is using her public platform to urge support for the renewal of the ACT for ALS. In a message shared on social media, Brooks asked followers to sign a petition pushing Congress to act on the bill without further delay.
Brooks described the issue as urgent and emphasized the importance of the legislation to the ALS community. She said that renewing the ACT for ALS would secure another $500 million for ALS research and treatment access, while warning that legislative action could be postponed until the end of 2026 or potentially longer despite what she described as unanimous support.
The former AEW personality made a direct appeal to her audience, framing the petition as a way for supporters to tell lawmakers that continued delay is unacceptable for people and families affected by ALS.
View the referenced post on Instagram
“PLEASE WATCH AND READ… VERY URGENT! You’ve heard me talking about how important I AM ALS and their bill – the ACT for ALS – means to me. Renewing it will secure another $500 million for ALS research and treatment access. Even though it has unanimous support, Congress might keep pushing it off until the end of the year or longer. Please sign your name to this petition and tell them that’s not ok. ALS deserves your support, and needs it now. We can’t afford to wait. The ALS community needs hope and we need it urgently ❤️ LINK IN BIO!!! Thank you for all your support 🙌🏼”
For more background on this topic, read AEW’s Rebel Urges Action as ACT for ALS Reauthorization Nears Deadline.
Rebel Calls Attention to the Need for Immediate Action
Brooks’ message centered on the human urgency behind the legislative discussion. Rather than presenting the matter as a distant political issue, she focused on the consequences that delays can have for people seeking treatment access and for efforts to advance research into ALS.
ALS, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is the condition at the center of the advocacy effort Brooks highlighted. Her post specifically tied the ACT for ALS renewal to continued financial support for research and treatment access, placing the proposed $500 million in the context of a broader need for hope within the ALS community.
The wording of Brooks’ appeal made clear that she does not view the bill’s reported support as a reason for fans to become complacent. Instead, she argued that the possibility of the measure being pushed later into the year—or beyond—makes public pressure more necessary. Her request was simple: sign the petition and make it known that waiting is not an acceptable outcome.
That approach reflects a familiar role for prominent figures with established fan communities. A wrestling personality’s social-media reach can introduce followers to advocacy campaigns they may not otherwise encounter, while also encouraging them to move beyond awareness and participate in a specific action. In this case, Brooks directed supporters toward a petition connected to the ACT for ALS renewal effort.
The $500 Million Figure Is Central to Brooks’ Appeal
The most specific point in Brooks’ statement was the funding figure attached to the renewal. She wrote that renewing the ACT for ALS would secure another $500 million for ALS research and treatment access. That combination of research support and practical access to treatment is why the bill carries such importance in her message.
Research funding can help sustain efforts to better understand a disease and pursue improved care, while treatment access speaks directly to the immediate concerns of patients and families navigating a serious diagnosis. Brooks did not present those ideas as separate priorities. Her post treated both as essential parts of the same urgent cause.
Her emphasis on urgency also distinguished this from a routine awareness post. Brooks specifically asked supporters to act now because, in her view, the ALS community cannot afford an extended wait for Congress to address the renewal. The concern expressed in her statement is not merely whether the bill has support, but whether that support will turn into timely action.
For fans responding to the post, the requested involvement does not require an understanding of every aspect of the legislative process. Brooks’ call was directed toward signing the petition and adding their voices to the request for the ACT for ALS to be renewed. The central message was that public support can help keep the issue visible while the bill’s future remains uncertain.
A Personal Platform Used for a Wider Community
Brooks has long been recognizable to wrestling viewers as Rebel, a name associated with her work on AEW programming and her on-screen connection with Britt Baker. Her latest message puts the focus elsewhere: on ALS advocates, patients, families, research, and access to care.
That does not make her wrestling identity irrelevant. It is precisely because Brooks is known by a large audience through wrestling that her advocacy can carry added visibility. Fans who followed her appearances, character work, and relationships on television now have an opportunity to see her use that recognition in support of a cause she describes as deeply meaningful.
Brooks’ language made the personal importance of the effort unmistakable. She referred to conversations she has already had about I AM ALS and the ACT for ALS, telling followers that the bill “means” a great deal to her. She also thanked supporters who have stood behind the cause, signaling that this is part of an ongoing attempt to keep attention on ALS rather than a one-time mention.
Her post also avoided treating affected people as an abstract audience. Brooks directly stated that the ALS community needs hope urgently. That line was the emotional core of her appeal, connecting the request for legislative movement with the people who would be impacted by continued support for research and treatment access.
Brooks Appeared on the September 9 Dynamite
The advocacy message arrived shortly after Brooks appeared on the September 9 edition of AEW Dynamite, which was presented as the “Rebel Heart” edition of the program. She was featured in multiple segments during the show, including a reunion with Britt Baker.
That appearance gave viewers a reminder of Brooks’ place within AEW’s history and her connection to Baker, one of the promotion’s most prominent names. The reunion was among the notable elements involving Brooks on the broadcast, while her social-media activity soon afterward directed attention toward an issue outside the usual scope of wrestling storylines.
There is a clear contrast between the two settings. On Dynamite, Brooks’ presence was part of professional wrestling television and its character-driven presentation. In her ACT for ALS message, she spoke directly and seriously to her followers about an advocacy campaign. Both uses of her platform reach people who know her as Rebel, but the latter asks them to engage with a real-world need that extends well beyond the ring.
Fans Can Amplify the Message
Brooks’ request is ultimately a call for visibility as much as participation. By asking people to sign the petition, she is encouraging fans to communicate that ALS research and treatment access deserve immediate attention. Her concern is that a bill with broad support could still be delayed, leaving the community she referenced waiting for an outcome it needs now.
The message from Rebel is therefore direct: support the ACT for ALS renewal, speak up against a prolonged delay, and help maintain hope for the ALS community. Her plea carries the urgency of someone who believes the time for waiting has already passed.
For wrestling fans, the post is also a reminder that the voices they follow can be used for more than match announcements, television reunions, or storyline developments. Brooks has asked her audience to take a moment to support a cause she considers vital, with $500 million in research and treatment-access funding at stake through the renewal effort she is backing.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.