D.L. Hughley discusses his collapse and COVID-19 diagnosis with Anthony Anderson
Comedian D.L. Hughley is a certified COVID-19 survivor after his very public collapse on stage during a comedy routine. Now, he's opening up about the experience.
With Jimmy Kimmel talking a summer break from his late-night talk show, black-ish star Anthony Anderson, who filled in for Kimmel in the past, was the first celebrity guest host in a series of upcoming guests to fill the void on ABC. For Tuesday night's episode, Anderson spoke with Hughley about his trying times of late.
"I'd been dehydrated," Hughley said. "I knew I was burning the candle at both ends, and I knew I was running a little low. So, I wasn't really shocked when I passed out. I was shocked when I got to the hospital."
Hughley was performing a comedy set at the Zanies Nashville Comedy Club in Nashville, Tenn. in late June when he fell off his stool and collapsed. He was carried off the stage and was subsequently taken to a nearby hospital. He revealed a day later that he tested positive for coronavirus.
"If you go to the hospital for anything nowadays, you're gonna get a COVID test," Hughley continued. "So, they told me I was dehydrated, they told me that my electrolytes were low. They wanted to run some other tests. 'Oh! And you got COVID.' I'm like, 'What?!'
Hughley said he didn't have "any of the classic symptoms" of coronavirus, hence his surprise. "I didn't have the cough, I didn't have the fever, I didn't have the shortness of breath, I didn't have the loss of taste. What I had was passing the Hell out. That's what I had."
According to the Center for Disease Control, the number of total coronavirus cases in the United States is nearing 3 million, as of Tuesday.
"Getting COVID-19 under control starts with us," Anderson added, this time addressing the camera directly. "We have to take responsibility. We have to do our part."
For the latest information on coronavirus (COVID-19), including how to protect yourself and what to do if you think you are sick, please visit? coronavirus.gov.
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