With Ellen DeGeneres’ long-running chat show coming to an end after 19 seasons, many fans have looked back at the highs and lows of her career. Recently, the 64-year-old revealed that she had experienced “excruciating” back pain after contracting COVID-19 during the pandemic.

DeGeneres made the decision to step away from the spotlight following allegations that her show had a toxic work environment. She shifted her focus to her passion for animal conservation, completing the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund in Rwanda. However, during this time, she was diagnosed with COVID-19 and shared an update on social media, mentioning how surprised she was to have back pain as one of the symptoms.

When she contracted the virus in December 2020, DeGeneres confirmed that she had taken all necessary precautions. A week later, she shared that she was feeling much better and was “100%” recovered, but she mentioned something surprising about her experience with the virus that hadn’t been widely discussed by medical professionals.

On an episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on April 20, 2021, where DeGeneres appeared alongside guests Billie Joe Armstrong and musical acts Jimmie Allen & Brad Paisley, she opened up about her experience. She stated, “I feel fantastic. 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.” DeGeneres expressed her surprise, wondering, “Who would have thought? I’m having back pain.”