Ellen DeGeneres Announces Covid-19 Diagnosis
In a statement posted to, her Twitter account, Ellen DeGeneres announced that she has tested positive for Covid-19.
“Fortunately,” she wrote, “I’m feeling fine right now. Anyone has been in close contact with me has been notified, and I am following all proper CDC guidelines.” She promised to see everyone again after the holidays, and urged her 79.4 million followers to “please stay healthy and safe.” As a result of DeGeneres’ diagnosis, production on The Ellen DeGeneres Show has been halted, and will not resume until January.
It’s been a challenging year for DeGeneres even before this serious health issue. Earlier in the fall, several former employees accused her popular daytime talk show of being a “toxic” workplace, prompting an internal investigation and DeGeneres to begin the first episode of this season with an on camera apology. ("I learned that things happened here that never should have happened," she stated. "I take that very seriously and I want to say I'm so sorry to the people that were affected.”)
Since then, according to a report in Buzzfeed, the show has struggled to attract sponsors and celebrity guests. The Ellen DeGeneres Show premiered in 2003, and has been one of the most successful daytime talk shows since that time, averaging millions of viewers every single day, and lagging behind only Dr. Phil among its competitors. Buzzfeed claims that since the accusations became public “the show [is] having a difficult time securing its usual A-list celebrities.”
Here is DeGeneres’ complete statement on her diagnosis:
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