With Ellen DeGeneres’ chat show concluding after 19 seasons, fans have reflected on her career’s ups and downs. Recently, the 64-year-old revealed that she experienced “excruciating” back pain after contracting COVID-19 during the pandemic, surprising many as this symptom was not widely discussed at the time.

Following allegations of a toxic work environment on her show, DeGeneres stepped back from the spotlight to focus on animal conservation, notably completing the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund in Rwanda. After contracting COVID-19 in December 2020, she shared her experience on social media, noting her unexpected back pain as a symptom.

On “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in April 2021, DeGeneres expressed her surprise at the back pain, stating, “What they don’t tell you is that you will have severe back pain.” At that time, the CDC had not listed back pain as a COVID-19 symptom, although it acknowledged muscle aches as common.

Research later indicated that many COVID-19 patients experienced back pain, often exacerbated by pre-existing conditions and reduced physical activity during the pandemic. A study in Malta found that the percentage of individuals reporting chronic back pain increased significantly after the onset of COVID-19, highlighting the broader impact of the pandemic on physical health.