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Ellen DeGeneres has thanked her well wishers for their messages of support following her COVID-19 diagnosis.
The 62-year-old TV host gave an update on Friday via Instagram, one day after revealing she tested positive for COVID-19 and putting her talk show on hiatus until January.
In a new photo the sickened comedian shared, she is seen curled up with her dog Wally, and looks fatigued as she glances up at the camera.
‘Thank you for all of your sweet messages. They’re helping a lot. Wally is helping too.’ DeGeneres captioned the image.
Resting up: Ellen DeGeneres gave fans an update on Friday after revealing she’s been diagnosed with COVID-19
The star appeared to be at home in her Montecito, California mansion and wore striped sweatpants, a black sweater and beanie in the early morning shot.
DeGeneres also used social media to make her announcement on Thursday that she’d fallen victim to the highly contagious virus that has swept the globe over the last nine months.
‘Hi Everyone, I want to let you all know that I tested positive for Covid-19. Fortunately, I’m feeling fine right now,’ she wrote in a statement posted on Twitter at noon.
‘Anyone who has been in close contact with me has been notified, and I am following all proper CDC guidelines,’ she added. ‘I’ll see you all again after the holidays. Please stay safe and healthy.’
DeGeneres is seen hosting a recent show. The daytime talk star will be off until after the holidays after saying she tested positive for COVID-19
Although DeGeneres typically tapes episodes of The Ellen Show at least a day in advance, Thursday afternoon’s show was a re-run of an episode that first ran on October 15.
It meant the cancellation of the final day of DeGeneres’ well-known ’12 Days of Giveaways’ holiday promotional series, which typically draws big sponsors and high ratings.
A promo that aired during the re-run teased the return of giveaways days ‘tomorrow’, suggesting some version of the final day may air on Friday. A spokesperson for the show did not immediately respond to an inquiry from DailyMail.com.
DeGeneres posted this statement on social media on Thursday, announcing that she would break early for the holidays after testing positive for COVID-19
On Wednesday afternoon, DeGeneres aired a new episode as scheduled, with in-studio guests including singer Leslie Odom Jr.
Last year, the ’12 Days of Giveaways’ promotion ran later in the season, and DeGeneres broke for the holidays after airing the final day on December 23.
This year, the show is giving its daily gifts to frontline workers, first responders, medical workers, and families hardest impacted by the pandemic.
The host’s coronavirus diagnosis comes just a day after a scathing Buzzfeed News article claimed that she was struggling to attract sponsors and A-list guests for this year’s holiday giveaway series – claims that were hotly disputed by DeGeneres’ camp.
A current employee of The Ellen Show told the outlet that the show’s giveaways segments had floundered in the wake of reports about the show’s ‘toxic’ workplace culture.
‘In a typical year, ’12 Days of Giveaways’ is huge. We’ve basically claimed Christmas on daytime TV. When you think of Christmas on TV, you think of The Ellen Show,’ the employee said.
‘Everyone wants to be in the audience. Everyone wants the gifts. And so we line up all these crazy sponsors, and people love it. But this year, our ’12 Days’ is more condensed. We don’t have as many sponsors.’
However, a source close to the show strenuously disputed the claims as inaccurate, telling DailyMail.com that the typical ’12 Days of Giveaways’ format, which often focuses on lavish trips and vacations, had to be radically changed due to the realities of the pandemic.
The show’s Season 18 guests have included Matthew McConaughey, Justin Bieber, Jane Fonda, Chance the Rapper, Kristen Bell and Orlando Bloom, among others.
Many guest appearances have been via video link due to the pandemic, but some have also been conducted in-studio.
In the episode that aired on Wednesday (above), DeGeneres hosted singer Leslie Odom Jr
DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi are seen in a holiday snap from Thanksgiving
The Buzzfeed article also cited a source close to the show who defended the Christmas promotion, saying that vacation giveaways were off the table in the pandemic.
‘There are travel restrictions and she’s giving gifts that are appropriate for the world right now,’ the source said. ‘Maybe it looks and feels differently, but that’s not a reflection on her or the business, but that’s directly impacted by the state of the world and the kind of show that’s being done now.’
DeGeneres was most recently spotted in public on Monday, wearing a face covering as she enjoyed a shopping spree in Montecito, California with a female friend.
