With her landmark talk show wrapping up after nineteen seasons, Ellen DeGeneres has been reflecting on the unexpected challenges she faced during the pandemic—most notably the “excruciating” back pain that struck her when she contracted COVID‑19.
Following allegations of a toxic work environment on her show, Ellen stepped away from the limelight to devote herself to animal conservation, spearheading the Ellen DeGeneres Campus for the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund in Rwanda. In December 2020, despite having taken every precaution, she tested positive for the virus. A week later, she announced on social media that she was feeling “100%” better, but admitted there was one symptom she never saw coming.
Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on April 20, 2021, Ellen surprised her audience—including guests Billie Joe Armstrong, Jimmie Allen, and Brad Paisley—when she revealed, “What they don’t tell you is that you will have severe back pain. I had no idea it was a symptom until I spoke with a few other people.” She laughed at her own astonishment, saying, “Who would have thought? I’m having back pain.”
Early in the pandemic, back pain wasn’t widely recognized as a COVID‑19 symptom. The CDC’s initial list focused on fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, headaches, loss of taste or smell, and gastrointestinal issues, noting only “muscle or body aches” in general. Later guidance from the NHS explained that illness‑related inactivity and inflammation can exacerbate pre‑existing joint and muscle problems, leading to stiffness and pain.
A study in Malta of 388 participants found that while 30% had chronic back pain before the pandemic, nearly half reported new or worsened back pain after contracting COVID‑19—and many had never experienced it before. Still, experts emphasize that back pain alone doesn’t indicate infection: it can stem from flu, pneumonia, or simply too many hours hunched over a home‑office desk during lockdown.
Ellen’s story reminds us that COVID‑19 can manifest in unexpected ways—and that listening to our bodies, even when symptoms seem surprising, is always wise.