D.L. Hughley ed out on stage during a recent stand-up set and later tested positive for the guidelines announced that dictate how filmmaking can proceed while the virus remains a very real threat.
Hughley is an actor and comedian best known for co-creating and starring in the sitcom, The Hughleys, that ran on ABC from 1998 to 2000, and on UPN from 2000 to 2002. As for his stand-up, Hughley rose to fame as the host of BET's ComicView in the early '90s before starring alongside Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, and Bernie Mac in Spike Lee's The Original Kings of Comedy. Since then, Hughley has appeared as a host on several programs, including D. L. Hughley Breaks the News for CNN as well as a nationally syndicated radio show, but he continues to regularly tour and perform stand-up. During a recent stand-up appearance, though, Hughley's health became a concern when he ed out on stage.
The news first broke with a Twitter video that shows Hughley slurring his speech before collapsing on stage during his set at Nashville’s Zanies comedy club. The comedian was rushed to a local hospital where he was treated for dehydration and exhaustion, but a later test revealed he's been infected with COVID-19. Hughley shared the update on his condition himself, saying in a video message: "I didn't have any symptoms, the classic symptoms I didn't have... I just lost consciousness. So, in addition to all the other stuff you have to look out for, if your a-- out in the middle of a show on stage, you probably need to get tested." You can watch Hughley's full message below.
Hughley's diagnosis adds yet another possible symptom to the long list already associated with COVID-19. Though considered asymptomatic because he isn't exhibiting any of the symptoms traditionally linked with the flu-like virus, his loss of consciousness is worrying, and especially if caused by COVID-19. Thankfully, Hughley appears to have recovered from the episode and, after the appropriate quarantine, is likely to return to work.
Hughley isn't the first celebrity to test positive for COVID-19. Famously, in the early days of the pandemic, news broke of Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson contracting the disease and needing to quarantine in Australia before returning home to the United States. Their diagnosis brought even more attention to the already rapidly spreading infection, making it impossible for many to ignore any longer. In the months since, the coronavirus pandemic has continued affecting everyone's lives, be they a celebrity or not. But as the disease continues to ravage the globe, it's likely only a matter of time before more high profile cases of COVID-19 become known.
Source: D.L. Hughley, Brooks Golightly