The stand-up comedian and daytime talk show host Ellen DeGeneres announced today that she has tested positive for COVID-19 in a tweet, according to Deadline. She has reported that she is following CDC guidelines and notifying individuals she had close contact with in the past few days. Due to her positive test, her daytime talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show has halted production for new episodes until an unannounced date in January. Her announcement via her official Twitter account can be viewed below:
DeGeneres had recently begun to conduct the new episodes of her daytime talk show with a live audience again back in October. The inclusion of a live studio audience was in adherence to local, state, and CDC COVID-19 guidelines and protocols. Audience members aiming to attend these in-person tapings were subject to health screenings and COVID-19 tests to make sure the production was safe. Via Deadline, the talk show had wrapped taping for its most recent episodes on Tuesday, December 8.
The announcement of her COVID-19 positive test follows the news at the end of the summer that her show was alleged to have a toxic workplace environment. Following these allegations against the comedian, DeGeneres issued an apology via taping of her talk show.