On Monday, Jimmy Fallon revealed in an Instagram post that he tested positive for COVID-19. The 47-year-old Tonight Show host received his positive results just before Christmas, even though he says he is fully vaccinated. Fallon felt fortunate enough to only have mild symptoms thanks to the vaccination and booster shot.
On his Instagram post, he wrote:
Thank you to the doctors and nurses who work so hard around the clock to get everyone vaxxed. Thank you to NBC for taking the testing protocols so seriously and doing a great job.
In typical Fallon fashion, he also joked about the Gary Coleman-inspired “‘What ‘chu talkin’ about Willis?’ room that he was “isolated” in when he got the news.
One of Many
As the Omnicron variant continues to surge, Fallon has become one of a handful of celebrities that have reported testing positive. One of the most notable late-night talk show hosts, Seth Meyers, just happens to also be on this list. He told Twitter on Tuesday that all of his “Late Night with Seth Meyer” shows have been canceled until next week.
The bad news is, I tested positive for COVID (thanks, 2022!) the good news is, I feel fine (thanks vaccines and booster!) We are canceling the rest of the shows this week, so tune in next Monday to see what cool location we will try and pass off as a studio!!!
Meyers released this information just 24 hours after Fallon’s Instagram notice.
Some other celebrities that have contracted the virus recently include Hugh Jackman, Lupita Nyong’o, Whoopi Goldberg, and Billie Eilish. News outlets believe this increase in celebrity cases only reflects the state of the nation’s rising Omnicron rates. The daily count of new COVID-19 cases in the United States reached a record high of 1,082,549 on Monday, according to John Hopkins University.
Different Experiences
Fallon’s experience with the virus was, appears to be a short memory in time. One fan asked about new show appearances and guests in his Instagram comments. He commented back with, “The positive came back on 12/18. Back at work today and feeling 100%!”
Other celebrities, like Billie Eilish, felt differently about their COVID-19 encounter. The pop star told “The Howard Stern Show” last month that she contracted the virus in August, and that her health suffered greatly for the next two months. “I want it to be clear that it is because of the vaccine I’m fine,” she told the radio host, adding that she “would have died” if she hadn’t gotten it.
Written by Ogechi Onyewuchi
Edited by Cathy Milne-Ware
Sources:
People Magazine: Jimmy Fallon Reveals He Tested Positive for COVID: ‘I Was Vaccinated and Boostered’, by Joelle Goldstein
Rolling Stone: Late-Night Hosts Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers Test Positive for Covid-19, by Althea Legaspi
Sky News: COVID: Hugh Jackman, Jimmy Fallon and Lupita Nyong’o among stars to reveal positive test results as Omicron surges in US
Featured, Top, and First Inset Images by Paula Lobo Courtesy of NBCUniversal – Used With Permission
Inline Image Courtesy of Montclair Film’s Flickr Page- Creative Commons License
