It’s been just over a month since Ellen DeGeneres was diagnosed with COVID-19 — now thankfully she’s all better and back on TV!
The talk show host opened her first episode back describing her harrowing experience with the novel virus — but of course had to throw a few light-hearted jokes in the mix, as she shared:
“There’s a lot of negative things going on, so I want to talk about something positive: my Covid test. I tested positive before the holidays, I’m fine now, everything’s good, all clear. I want to thank everyone who reached out with kind words with support, I wish I could hug every single one of you, but that would have been dangerous and illegal, probably.”
Ha!
Related: Alison Brie Accidentally Showed Ellen A D**k Pic The First Time They Met!
The host went on to detail the moment she learned she had caught the contagious illness in December — while sitting in the hair and makeup department prior to filming her NBC show!
“Then everyone around me ran away. They told [producer] Andy Lassner and when he heard he literally ran full speed off the lot. I didn’t realize you could run. Just the slow walking. You left so fast you forgot your phone!”
Talk about a toxic work environment! LOLz! Seriously, she’s back to killing it! This is a really good distraction from her controversy tbh…
Anyway, the Covid safety team made sure to contact anyone who had come near the 62-year-old, who promptly left set. Once home, she was kept away from her wife Portia de Rossi, another tragedy she made light of, elaborating:
“I went home, I had to quarantine and Portia made me sleep in a different room, on a different bed, because she wanted the race car bed all to herself.”
Jokes aside, Ellen got serious about what her recovery process was like in hopes of helping others. She detailed the month-long experience, recalling:
“This is my experience with COVID. The first three days I slept for 16 hours a day and then on the fourth day I woke up with back spasms, and I thought I had pulled a muscle or slept weird because I was in a different bed, but it just persisted.”
This is about the time the comedian shared a short video on Instagram to update worried fans. Now we’re learning more behind-the-scenes details, with the Finding Dory star divulging:
“The doctor put me on pain pills and muscle relaxers. Jackpot, this thing is finally paying off. The painkillers did not help, my back got worse. It felt like I cracked a rib. You know how I make you laugh so hard that your ribs hurt? That’s how it was like for me. Now I know how you feel when I make you laugh.”
Sounds terrible! With a combination of medication and lots of rest days, she eventually overcame the pain:
“But here’s the thing about steroids, they make you very speedy and really edgy, so the best thing to do was to stay on the muscle relaxers and pain killers with the steroid pills to balance it out. I don’t know if that’s the best way, I’m not a doctor, but that’s what I did.”
Ellen’s experience proves just how radically different everyone’s body handles the virus; while there’s a long list of likely symptoms, the back pain was all she suffered with! She noted:
“It’s the only symptom I had. I didn’t have a headache, I didn’t have a fever, I didn’t lose my sense of taste, although I did wear socks with Crocs for a day, so you be the judge.”
The former sitcom star is still unsure how she contracted coronavirus considering the strict safety protocols she follows on and off set, though she joked:
“I wear a mask, I wash my hands, I only lick 3 or 4 door handles, so it’s a mystery to me how it happened.”
Related: Ellen Awkwardly Thanks Her ‘Amazing Crew & Staff’ Amid Controversy
We gotta give it up to her for always finding the humor in tough situations. She seemed very aware of her privilege to be healthy, as well as her responsibility to help viewers who may be suffering at home, concluding her monologue:
“I know people are struggling with this illness right now, my heart goes out to all of them. As always, I hope this show will give you some joy, brighten your day.”
Let’s hope everyone on the lot continues to remain healthy as they restart production on season 17!
[Image via The Ellen Show/Youtube]
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