‘Incredibly painful,’ says Ellen DeGeneres. ‘I had no idea that was a symptom.’

With Ellen DeGeneres’ talk show concluding after 19 seasons, many fans have reflected on her career’s highs and lows. Amid the pandemic, the 64-year-old DeGeneres contracted COVID-19, later revealing on social media that she experienced unexpected “excruciating” back pain as a symptom, which surprised her given it wasn’t initially considered typical.

After facing allegations that her show fostered a toxic workplace environment, DeGeneres stepped back from the spotlight, choosing to focus on her passion for animal conservation, particularly through The Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund in Rwanda.

In a health update following her illness in December 2020, DeGeneres shared her shock at back pain being a symptom, expressing, “Who would have thought?” She noted that health experts didn’t initially list back pain among COVID-19 symptoms. While the CDC did eventually include “muscle or body aches” as a symptom, back pain wasn’t widely associated with COVID-19.

The NHS explains that illness or inactivity during COVID can exacerbate existing joint and muscle issues. Reports suggest that more individuals experienced back pain during the pandemic, partly due to reduced physical activity and increased time spent working from home.