And the virus continues to wreak havoc on tours, movie premieres, TV productions and more—especially once the easily transmissible Omicron variant became the dominant strain of COVID worldwide. The most recent example? In February 2022, the official Twitter account of Prince Charles announced that the heir to the British throne “has tested positive for COVID-19 and is now self-isolating.” It’s the second time the 73-year-old Prince of Wales has had the disease; he first came down with COVID-19 at the very onset of the global pandemic in March 2020. In late January 2022, former View panelist Meghan McCainpenned a piece for The Daily Mail about her own experience coming down with COVID recently alongside her husband, Ben Domenech. (Luckily, their young daughter Liberty did not test positive.) “I thank God my case… wasn’t worse,” McCain wrote. “But for so many others it is.” A few days before that, Sir Elton John notified fans that he was forced to postpone his final, farewell tour—which has already suffered several delays due to the pandemic—after he tested positive for COVID-19 despite being fully vaccinated and boosted. Luckily, he noted on his Instagram Story that he’d only have to postpone a couple shows and that his symptoms had been “mild.” COVID has also infiltrated TV in more ways that one. TODAY’s Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie both announced in early January that they’d come down with breakthrough COVID, right around the same time that The Tonight Show’s Jimmy Fallon and Late Night’s Seth Meyers—who, like Kotb and Guthrie, work at NBC’s famed 30 Rockefeller Center— revealed they’d tested positive despite being vaccinated. (Rounding out COVID’s scourge on late-night TV, The Late Late Show host James Corden tested positive for the virus right around the same time.) Before that, on Monday, Jan. 3, The View went back to filming new episodes remotely as panelist Joy Behar announced on air that co-star Whoopi Goldberg had come down with COVID—but added that thankfully, “since she’s vaxxed and boosted, her symptoms have been very, very mild.” And a few days before that, in late December 2021, rapper and actor LL Cool J revealed he’d contracted the disease, forcing him to cancel a planned Dec. 31 performance on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest. “I know it’s disappointing to the millions of fans but my test came back positive for COVID, which means I’ll no longer be able to perform as scheduled,” he said in a statement. “We were ready and I was really looking forward to ringing in 2022 in my hometown in a special way, but for now I wish everyone a healthy and happy New Year. The best is yet to come!” That same month, three members of K-pop boy band BTS—RM, Jin and Suga—tested positive for the virus, as did Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster, who are co-starring on Broadway in a revival of The Music Man (now on hiatus until at least early January 2022). Proving that the virus doesn’t play favorites, in December 2021, talk-show guru Andy Cohen came down with COVID for the second time, and the month before, in November 2021, Dancing With the Stars pro-turned-judge Derek Hough revealed that he’d been diagnosed with a breakthrough case of COVID. “I feel OK, I feel strong, but I’m currently taking advice from medical professionals, doing everything I can to get better as fast as I can,” the 36-year-old told followers in a Nov. 17 Instagram video. “Just wanted to send a lot of love out there to all, and stay safe.” In late October 2021, pop superstar Ed Sheeran revealed that he’d have to cancel all promo plans surrounding the Oct. 29 release of his upcoming album Equals because he’d tested positive for COVID-19. View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Derek Hough (@derekhough) And the month before that, talk show icon Wendy Williams revealed on her show’s Instagram account that she’d contracted COVID-19 despite being fully vaccinated, prompting a pushback in the premiere of The Wendy Williams Show’s 13th season to Mon., Oct. 4, 2021. Other recognizable names who’s experienced breakthrough COVID cases include Jeff Bridges,Melissa Joan Hart, Sen. Lindsey Graham, Rev. Jesse Jackson and Reba McEntire. Back in March 2020, Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson were among the world’s earliest COVID-19 cases, and it was their openness about their illnesses that made many people sit up and take the virus seriously. “We have COVID-19 and are in isolation so we do not spread it to anyone else,” the Oscar winner wrote on Instagram alongside a pic of him and Wilson. “There are those for whom it could lead to a very serious illness. We are taking it one-day-at-a-time.” He also urged others to take the virus seriously and to heed public health authorities, adding, “There are things we can all do to get through this by following the advice of experts and taking care of ourselves and each other, no?” Since then, COVID-19 has affected everyone from Ellen DeGeneres to Prince Charles. While they survived their symptoms, other celebrities tragically succumbed. Broadway star Nick Cordero passed away in July 2020 after battling COVID-19 in the hospital for over 90 days, enduring a medically induced coma and undergoing a leg amputation due to complications. “God has another angel in heaven now. My darling husband passed away this morning. He was surrounded in love by his family, singing and praying as he gently left this earth,” his wife Amanda Kloots wrote on Instagram. “I am in disbelief and hurting everywhere. My heart is broken as I cannot imagine our lives without him. Nick was such a bright light. He was everyone’s friend, loved to listen, help and especially talk. He was an incredible actor and musician. He loved his family and loved being a father and husband. Elvis and I will miss him in everything we do, everyday.” Idris Elba, Andy Cohen,Lena Dunham, Andrea Bocelli,Bryan Cranston,Tony Shalhoub,Sara Bareilles and The Bachelor’s Colton Underwood are also among the many stars who have opened up about their diagnoses on social media, sharing their symptoms and encouraging followers to take precautionary measures to combat COVID-19. Click through the gallery to see which celebrities have tested positive for COVID-19 as well as some of the stars we’ve lost because of the virus. Editor’s Note: This information was accurate at press time. We’re continuing to update our COVID-19 coverage as we learn more. Check back frequently for the most up-to-date information. Looking for ways to keep calm during the COVID-19 pandemic? These 15 tips should help.
