Celebrities and Their Shocking Battles With Covid-19 [UPDATED]

When Obama recently announced he had covid, we felt his pain. Although many people are letting their guards down against Covid-19, the threat of the disease still looms. Even today, the Omicron variant has mutations, causing a new wave of diagnoses. Many celebrities have taken to social media to plead with their fans to stay vigilant. Here is a look at some of our favorite celebrities and their shocking battles with Covid-19

Kevin Hart never said the exact dates he tested positive for Covid-19. However, he did say in a stand-up show with Dave Chappelle that he left mum about having had Covid because: “The problem is that I had it around the same time as Tom Hanks, and I couldn’t say anything because he’s more famous than I am.”

The iconic Verzuz battle between Babyface and Teddy Riley was originally postponed because Babyface tested positive for Covid-19. He revealed in an Instagram post that he and his family recovered from Covid together.

In June 2020, D.L. Hughley collapsed while on stage at a comedy club show. He was then tested for Covid-19 and the test came back positive. He was asymptomatic before the collapse or so he thought, which made testing positive a surprise for him.

While doing an interview with Dr. Anthony Fauci, Tiffany Haddish revealed she had Covid. She was tested after someone working on a movie set tested positive which shut down production. Haddish said her results came back positive but she had no symptoms.

Dave Chappelle received some criticism after his first show back on stage after he recovered from Covid-19. Chappelle called himself a hero for continuing to hold comedy shows throughout the pandemic. The shows were socially distanced and required negative Covid tests to enter. But he then went on to say that people who stayed home were cowards “invested in being afraid” and were using fear to keep people at home. He was also seen at times not wearing a mask while greeting people off-stage.

Coco Gauff was set to represent the U.S. at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics when she tested positive for Covid. The 18-year-old tennis star lost her sense of smell and was supposed to get her first vaccination the same week. She was forced to withdraw from the Olympics.

The beginning of The Wendy Williams Show season 13 was pushed back because Wendy Williams herself was diagnosed with Covid, which caused her additional complications with her already present thyroid condition. The 13th season eventually premiered in October without her.

Chris Rock tweeted he got Covid in September 2021 writing, “Trust me, you don’t want this. Get vaccinated.” Upon his recovery, he appeared on stage at a Robert Glasper show saying, “ It wasn’t quite as hard as being Black, but it was close…That’s why everyone’s trying to avoid it, man.”

In an interview, Smokey Robinson revealed he was in the hospital for 11 days battling Covid-19; he said he did not remember about five of the days he was in the hospital. Here’s the kicker, he nearly completely lost his voice after being diagnosed with the disease.

Andre Leon Talley, the fashion icon, had Covid-19 just days before passing away in January of 2022. His friend mentioned that Talley had other chronic illnesses while battling Covid.

Whoopi Goldberg was tripled vaccinated but still tested positive for Covid in early January. She started to have mild symptoms after Christmas and missed the first shows back on The View for the holiday break.

Former President Barack Obama announced on Twitter that he tested positive for Covid in March 2022. He tweeted that he was feeling fine and his only symptom was a scratchy throat. Michelle Obama tested negative.

Denzel Washington, unfortunately, missed the Medal of Freedom Ceremony at the White House this July after testing positive for Covid. He was positioned to be honored at the ceremony this year, but President Biden reassured the audience that Washington will be honored at a later time.

Yet another president has tested positive for COVID-19. Despite being fully vaccinated with two extra booster shots, President Joe Biden tested positive for coronavirus and is experiencing “mild symptoms.” He won’t be able to return to in-person work until he tests negative.