On Thursday, Ellen DeGeneres, 62, revealed that she has tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, called SARS-CoV-2.
The Ellen DeGeneres Show has been shut down until January after the news of DeGeneres’ COVID diagnosis.
She wrote on Twitter, “Hi everyone, I wanted to let you 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,” the comedian added. “I’ll see you all again after the holidays. Please stay healthy and safe.”
A spokesperson for Telepictures told NPR that the talk show has been put on hold until January. Telepictures is the show’s production company owned by Warner Bros.
In the past two weeks, in-studio guests on the show have included Justin Bieber, Lil Nas X, Diane Keaton, Bryan Cranston and, on Wednesday, Leslie Odom Jr., though all guests were distantly seated from DeGeneres.
Since late October, the show has allowed some in-studio audience members along with a few crew and staff members.
This has been a rough year for The Ellen DeGeneres Show because three senior producers exited the show in August after some of the show’s leadership was accused of sexual harassment, racism and creating a toxic work environment by 36 former employees, according to NPR.
BuzzFeed News published the accusations. Two of those producers have denied all the allegations and the third producer reportedly did not respond to requests for comment.
In September, DeGeneres appeared for her 18th season premiere and addressed the allegations of racism, sexism and bullying made by her employees. At the time, she said, “I am so sorry to the people who were affected. I know that I’m in a position of privilege and power. I realized that with that comes responsibility and I take responsibility for what happens at my show.”
