Ellen DeGeneres Announces COVID-19 Diagnosis

Ellen DeGeneres has announced that she has tested positive for COVID-19. The Ellen DeGeneres Show host/comedian posted an official announcement to fans on social media, in which she states, “Hi Everyone, I want to let you all know that I tested positive for Covid-19. Fortunately, I’m feeling fine right now. Anyone who has been in close contact with me has been notified, and I am following all proper CDC guidelines. I’ll see you all again after the holidays. Please stay healthy and safe. Love, Ellen.”

This COVID-19 diagnosis marks a somber end to a particularly turbulent year for Degeneres. Amidst all the upheaval of the pandemic and all the socio-political chaos everyone faced in 2020, Ellen was hit with a major scandal surrounding her show. In July, a series of articles from BuzzFeed exposed the inner workings of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, based on testimony from supposed former employees of the program (speaking anonymously).

The series of articles painted the show as a toxic work environment in which harassment, racism, and microaggressions against employees were all alleged. Ultimately, the investigation by WarnerMedia resulted in three executive producers being fired from the show; DeGeneres expressed remorse for not being more connected with the workplace culture of her show, both to staff and to fans. DJ Stephen “tWitch” Boss was promoted to co-executive producer and fill-in host for Degeneres.

Like many other show hosts, Ellen spent 2020 trying to keep her program going amidst the new restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ellen stopped taping with an audience on March 16th, and by April, DeGeneres was filming the show from her home in Los Angeles. That move also caused a bit of controversy, as reports came out in April alleging that Ellen staff hadn’t been properly informed of how their pay would be affected during the pandemic shutdown.

That all said, 2020 hasn’t been all bad for Ellen. One of the recurring comedy sketches on her show, “The Masked Dancer” (a spoof on the hit series The Masked Singer) actually landed a real production deal. The Masked Dancer is now set to premiere on Fox as an actual series, in January. Fox tapped DeGeneres as a producing partner (even though they legally didn’t have to), having been impressed by Ellen’s effort and enthusiasm about the franchise.

We wish Ellen DeGeneres a speedy recovery during the holidays. The Masked Dancer is set to premiere in January.