Posts Tagged: television news

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Tamera Mowry-Housley Leaving ‘The Real’ After 7 Years; ‘All Good Things Must Come to An End’

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Tamera Mowry-Housley is leaving daytime talk show "The Real" after 7 years. The 42-year-old star confirmed her departure on social media Monday evening.

Tamera's announcement followed the news that Glee star Naya Rivera's body was found in Lake Piru on Monday.

"I had NO intention to talk about this today, especially in light of the news of my dear friend Naya, but now some reports are coming out and I'd rather you hear it from me first," she tweeted.

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"For seven years, my home and heart has been at The Real. The friendships that I've made there will last a lifetime, and the people that I've had the blessing to interview have changed my life for the better.

"However, all good things must come to an end, and it's with a bittersweet smile that I announce that I am moving on from The Real. To my fellow hosts, I love you, I will miss you, and I will always be there for you."
 

Photo by WENN/Avalon

The Real first aired in 2013. The remaining co-hosts are Jeannie Mai, Loni Love, and Adrienne Houghton.

Nikki Nelson/ WENN

Tamera (right) is best known for her role as Tamera Campbell on the ABC/WB TV sitcom Sister, Sister alongside her identical twin sister Tia Mowry-Hardrict. The twins are pictured with their mom, Darlene Mowry, in April 2007.

Tamera is married to former Fox News correspondent Adam Housley and shares 2 children with him. They married on May 15, 2011 after dating for six years.
 

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Ruby Rose Congratulates ‘Batwoman’ Replacement Javicia Leslie

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WENN.com

Ruby Rose (left) praised her Batwoman replacement Javicia Leslie as she reacted to the groundbreaking news on Instagram on Wednesday.

Following the announcement that the "God Friended Me" actress was cast in the role abandoned by Ruby last month, the Australian actress took to the social media site to congratulate Javicia.

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"OMG!! This is amazing!! I am so glad Batwoman will be played by an amazing Black woman. I want to congratulate Javicia Leslie on taking over the bat cape. You are walking into an amazing cast and crew. I can't wait to watch season 2 you are going to be amazing!!"

Ruby, 34, quit the show after just one season, amid poor television ratings and criticism over her casting as Batwoman.

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Ruby's casting as the female Caped Crusader drew so much criticism that she deleted her Twitter account in disgust.

Viewers complained that the openly lesbian actress wasn't "gay enough" for the role and she was a terrible actress.

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Meanwhile, Javicia, 33, shared a Deadline.com article about her casting on her own Instagram page, writing: "For all of the little black girls dreaming to be a superhero one day... it's possible!"
 

In a statement about her new gig earlier in the day, Javicia said: "I am extremely proud to be the first black actress to play the iconic role of Batwoman on television, and as a bisexual woman, I am honored to join this groundbreaking show, which has been such a trailblazer for the LGBTQ+ community."

Batwoman premiered last year with Ruby making history as TV's first openly gay superhero.

According to reports, Javicia's character Ryan Wilder replaces from Ruby's Kate Kane when she goes missing. The new season will premiere on television in January, 2021.

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ABC Cancels ‘Strahan, Sara and Keke’

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Daytime talk show "Strahan, Sara and Keke" won't return from coronavirus hiatus, multiple sources confirmed to Page Six.

"'Strahan, Sara and Keke' is put on hiatus and it doesn't look like it's going to come off," a source told Page Six.

ABC News took the talk show off the air in March and replaced it with
"Pandemic: What you Need to Know," a daily coronavirus report by Amy Robach, Dr. Jen Ashton and TJ Holmes.

"It was initially supposed to be a 2-week experiment and the show did really well," a spokesperson told Page Six.

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Keke Palmer joined the show a year ago after she impressed ABC execs following her appearance on "Strahan and Sara," starring co-hosts Michael Strahan and Sara Haines.

Strahan and Haines won't be on the unemployment line. Strahan still hosts "GMA."

"Everyone is still getting paid. There's space for everyone. They're actively in contact... They're figuring out what the future will look like," a source said.

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Unclockable Trans: Jasmine Davis On ‘The Chi’ Season 3

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un•clock•a•ble (uhn-klok-uh-buhl) adjective
1. A complimentary word used to describe a MtF (male-to-female) trans whose feminine appearance is convincing.

The Chi creator Lena Waithe introduced The Chi's first male-to-female trans character in season 3.

In an appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden, Waithe, 36, announced the new character named Imani (played by Jasmine Davis).

"It's definitely the gayest season ever," Waithe said of season 3, which premiered Monday on Showtime. "We kick off with two black women marrying each other in holy matrimony."

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"I'm so excited that we finally get to introduce our first trans character this season," she added. "Her name is Jasmine, she's a Chicago native, she's fantastic."

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Waithe said the show won't bring any attention to the fact that Davis was born a male. Davis plays 'Chi' actor Luke James' live-in love interest on season 3.

"We make sure to not point a finger or shed too much light on her being trans," she said. "She's an amazing woman, she's an interesting character, and I'm excited that we finally get to do that this season."

Watch the video below to see why Davis is Unclockable (except for the voice and the chiseled jawline).

Waithe also announced there will be no police officers in season 3 in light of the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota and other Black people.

Even before all of this happened, when I pitched Season 3 to the network and studio I said, 'I don't want any cops this season. Why do police have to be in the black community narrative at all?'" Waithe said.

"My amazing showrunner, Justin Hillian, basically said, 'Well, you know how to make cops go away? Make a black girl disappear.' So that's what we did," she added. "We focus on how the community comes together, leans on each other, and doesn't necessarily need police to be in their community."
 

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‘The Wire’ Actor Wendell Pierce Petitions for Voice of Cleveland Brown

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Aaron J. Thornton/FilmMagic, Fox TV

Actor Wendell Pierce is petitioning to become the new voice of beloved Black cartoon character Cleveland Brown.

Pierce, of HBO's The Wire fame, has launched a media campaign to be the new voice of Cleveland on "Family Guy" after Mike Henry, a white actor announced he would no longer voice the Black character.

"It's been an honor to play Cleveland on 'Family Guy' for 20 years," Henry wrote on social media. "I love this character, but persons of color should play characters of color. Therefore, I will be stepping down from the role."

Henry's decision follows on the heels of other white actors who gave up their roles playing Black cartoon characters.

Last week, Jenny Slate announced she was walking away from the series "Big Mouth" amid Black Lives Matter protests taking place around the world.

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HBO

Pierce, pictured with actor Dominic West in a scene from The Wire, took to social media to stake his claim for the voiceover gig.

"Now that Mike Henry has consciously given up the role of Cleveland, I am publicly starting a campaign to voice the role myself on ‘The Cleveland Show.'"

"Family Guy" has aired over 300 episodes across 18 seasons of television. Fox renewed the series last month for its 19th season.

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Hulu Sparks Outrage Over Removal of ‘Golden Girls’ Blackface Episode

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Fans of the "Golden Girls" were outraged after Hulu removed a popular episode of the beloved sitcom due to an alleged reference to blackface in the episode.

Amid the Black Lives Matter protests taking place around the world, numerous U.S. TV shows, including The Office, Scrubs, and 30 Rock have removed episodes or were taken off replay services because of references to blackface - a term used to describe a non-Black person wearing darkened theatrical make-up to present a caricature of a Black person.

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Hulu pulled the Golden Girls episode "Mixed Blessings" from season 3. In the episode, Bea Arthur's character Dorothy meets the family of her son's fiancee, an older black woman (played by Rosalind Cash).

Rue McClanahan's character Blanche and Betty White's Rose both enter the room wearing mud masks on their faces.

As the audience laughs, Betty White says, "This is mud on our faces. We're not really black."

The decision to remove the episode didn't sit well with fans of the show, who took to social media to slam Hulu for cheapening the Black Lives Matter movement.

"First of all, they were in mud masks not blackface," one person tweeted. "And second of all, in what world does 'Stop killing us.' sound like 'Please remove episodes of Golden Girls'? I didn't see that [asked] on anyone's protest sign..."

Another user tweeted: "Yeah, these companies and media platforms are trivializing the situation by sending the message that our demand for justice is as petty as removing episodes of the Golden Girls off a streaming platform. This is a calculated effort to cheapen our message."
 

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Sherri Shepherd wasn’t asked back to ‘Friends’ after her diversity joke fell flat

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Sherri Shepherd wasn't asked to return to "Friends" after she joked about the cast's lack of diversity (read: Black people).

According to Sherri's best friend, blogger Jawn Murray, Sherri, 53, got herself blacklisted when she sent a postcard to the show's co-creator which wasn't well-received.

The former "The View" co-host sent a postcard to the show's co-creator Marta Kauffman with a joke about the show's lack of diversity.

"Sherri was one of the few black faces that was on 'Friends,'" Murray told ABC News' Linsey Davis.

"Her, Aisha Tyler and Gabrielle Union. And Sherri was on 'Friends' at a time that you sent out postcards to let people know, 'Hey, I'm going to be on TV.'"

The postcard, which Sherri sent to her friends, contained a photo of Sherri with the message, "'Friends' get a little color."

"Well, [Sherri] also sent that postcard to Marta, and she got the postcard and [Sherri] was never asked back on the show," said Murray.

Page Six reached out to Kauffman for a reaction to Murray's comments, but she didn't respond.

She did admit to not doing enough to champion diversity on the show at the virtual ATX Television Festival earlier this month.

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Kelly Rowland SLAMS ‘The Voice Australia’ Contestant for Calling Her ‘Beautiful’; ‘It’s so degrading!’

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Kelly Rowland slammed a contestant on The Voice Australia for calling her "beautiful" during the Blind Auditions on Sunday night. The American singer is a judge on the popular TV talent show.

Kelly said the compliment from music teacher Ricky Muscat was "so degrading" and dismissive of her long, hard years in the music industry.

The former Destiny's Child singer turned her chair when Ricky auditioned. Singer Boy George also turned his chair to Ricky, who eventually chose the Culture Club frontman.

"George, I love you. Kelly, you're so beautiful," said Ricky. "The coach that I am choosing is George."

Ricky was then shown hugging the male judges while Kelly sat in her chair steaming. She then stood to embrace Ricky, but he ignored her.

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Kelly's fellow judge Delta Goodrem sat next to Kelly to comfort her.

"It is the most frustrating s**t," Kelly fumed. "You know what's so frustrating? To be called beautiful... it's so degrading. It really pi**es me off," she raged. "Like 'oh, you're so cute', or 'you're so pretty'. I've been here (in the music industry) for 20-something years, you know what I mean?"

The 39-year-old mother-of-one insisted she was not upset at being passed over for Boy George, 58.

"I don't care who he (Ricky) would have chosen, it's just the fact that he chose George and goes 'you, you're a woman, you're pretty', that makes me upset. Oh, that irritates me to no end!"

However, George dismissed Kelly's pettiness: "I think Kelly's upset because he called her pretty. I love it when people call me pretty, please!"

Fans of the show point out that, before Ricky chose George, Kelly called Ricky "handsome". He may have been returning the compliment.

Question: If you were pushing 40, would you be outraged if a man called you beautiful?
 

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Former President Obama to address nation live on George Floyd death

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Former President Barack Obama will address the nation to speak about the widespread protests and violence following the death of George Floyd, the Black Minnesota man who died in police custody.

Obama is set to face the nation at 5 p.m. EST on Wednesday, June 3. Some major networks will carry his speech live. You can also watch his address live on his website.

According to CNN, which will carry the address live, Obama will speak about the death of George Floyd and the protests and looting that threaten to widen the gap because the haves and the have nots.

The violent uprising has mainly affected Black communities, where economic and health disparities are worse than other communities.

Obama previously addressed the death of Floyd and the protests, but this will be his first live remarks about the nationwide protests.

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Open Post: Amanda Seales Quits ‘The Real’ After Fight with Jeannie Mai

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Amanda Seales has parted ways with The Real daytime talk show following a fight with former co-host Jeannie Mai, according to published reports.

The comedian shocked fans when she announced she's leaving her hosting gig after just 6 months on the job.

MTO News reports that Amanda walked off the set after she got into a heated argument with outspoken co-host Jeannie, who is engaged to rapper Jeezy.

But publicly, Amanda claims she left because the show's producers kept censoring her.

"I didn't renew it, because it doesn't feel good to my soul to be at a place where I can not, speak to my people the way they need to be spoken to," she explained.

"I'm not at a space where as a full Black woman I can have my voice and my co-workers also have their voices and where the people at the top are not respecting the necessity for Black voices to be at the top too."

Amanda was a controversial co-host who didn't bite her tongue and constantly butted heads with producers and her co-hosts behind the scenes.

Inside sources say her co-hosts - Jeannie, Adrienne Houghton, Loni Love, and Tamera Mowry-Housley - are happy to see her go.

Co-host Loni Love unfollowed Seales on social media.
 

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Mean Girl Lea Michele Apologizes for Bullying Black Co-Star On Set of ‘Glee’

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Photos: Getty Images

Lea Michele (left) has broken her silence following accusations of her bullying a Black co-star on the set of Fox TV's Glee.

Allegations about Lea's behavior while filming the U.S. TV program have been swirling for years, with Naya Rivera detailing her unpleasant experiences with the actress in her 2016 book Sorry Not Sorry.

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And when Lea tweeted her support of the Black Lives Matter movement following the death of George Floyd at the hands of white police officers, her former co-star Samantha Ware hit back by accusing the screen star of making her life a "living hell" when she bullied her on set, and alleged Lea even threatened to "s**t in her wig".

In her initial tweet, Ware wrote:

"Remember when you made my first television gig a living hell?!?!... Cause I'll never forget... I believe you told everyone that if you had the opportunity you would 's*** in my wig!' amongst other traumatic microaggressions that made me question a career in Hollywood."

Following Samantha's tweet, numerous Glee stars came forward to validate her story, with Dabier Snell and Alex Newell backing up her claims, while Amber Riley and Melissa Benoist both weighed in by "liking" tweets about the scandal.

The controversy prompted Ariana Grande and Keke Palmer to unfollow the actress on social media, and on Tuesday, brand HelloFresh cut ties with the mom-to-be as a celebrity sponsor, stating: "HelloFresh does not condone racism nor discrimination of any kind."

Now Lea, who is expecting her first child with husband Zandy Reich, has broken her silence about the claims in a statement to People magazine.

"Whether it was my privileged position and perspective that caused me to be perceived as insensitive or inappropriate at times or whether it was just my immaturity and me just being unnecessarily difficult, I apologize for my behavior and for any pain which I have caused. We all can grow and change and I have definitely used these past several months to reflect on my own shortcomings."

Source: WENN.com

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Ellen DeGeneres ‘at the end of her rope’ after ‘mean’ stories continue to circulate

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Ellen DeGeneres is reportedly "at the end of her rope" after her employees and former staffers called her "mean" and said she is difficult to work with.

DeGeneres began trending on Twitter when beauty YouTuber Nikkie de Jager (a.k.a. NikkieTutorials) accused DeGeneres of being "cold and distant" when the blogger appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in January.

Then comic Kevin T. Porter sent out a tweet urging people to message him "the most insane stories... about Ellen" to raise money for a Los Angeles food bank.

Porter's timeline was flooded with messages from people who described her as "notoriously one of the meanest people alive."

A former bodyguard, who protected the 62-year-old television mogul at the 2014 Oscars, described her as being "cold".

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Tom Majercak claims DeGeneres refused to make eye contact with him and treated him in a "demeaning" manner.

"Ellen is the one person that I've been assigned to - and I've been assigned to quite a few celebrities - that has never taken the time to say hi to me," Majercak told Fox News.

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He said DeGeneres's life partner, Portia de Rossi, 47, was "nice" and he said she spoke to him while DeGeneres acted like he didn't exist.

Staffers described the openly lesbian TV host as being "mean" and others said "she isn't always nice" to her employees.

A source told the New York Post, "It irritates me that people think she's all sweetness and light and she gets away with it."

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DeGeneres was slammed as "tone deaf" after she complained that being at home in her $27 million California mansion was "like being in jail."

Ellen is taping her show with a skeleton crew from her home while on quarantine.

Crew members said they were told to expect a 60 percent decrease in their take home pay, while DeGeneres continues to earn $77 million per year.

DeGeneres managed to find one friend who defended her publicly on Wednesday.

The unnamed source told Us Weekly that "Ellen is at the end of her rope."

"She thought this was all just sour grapes from a few haters. But it's not a passing thing — the hits just keep coming."

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Atlanta-Based Talk Show ‘Sister Circle’ Cancelled After 3 Seasons

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Atlanta-based TV talk show Sister Circle has been cancelled after three seasons. The production company, Tegna, announced the cancellation in a press release, according to the AJC.com's Radio & TV Talk.

The talk show will air its final episode on April 24. The company explained that "while there are many loyal fans of the show, the show has not grown its audience enough to continue."

Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images

Sister Circle was helmed by TV and radio personality Rashan Ali. Ali got her start working alongside Atlanta radio legend Ryan Cameron (who recently underwent emergency open heart surgery and is recovering in an ICU).

In a text message to Radio & TV Talk's Rodney Ho, Ali said: "it was a privilege to have this opportunity. I am so proud of the show and want to thank my co-hosts, our production team and our 'Sister Circle' family for making an indelible impact in media."

She added: "Right now, however, my thoughts and prayers are with Ryan Cameron who played an integral role in my career."

Other hosts included Syleena Johnson, 'Married to Medicine' cast member Quad Webb and comedienne Kiana Dancie who was replaced by reality star Trina Braxton ('Braxton Family Values') in the 2nd season.

Sister Circle got off to a rocky start in 2017 when the panel included woman-hating blogger Funky Dineva. The TV ratings picked up slightly after Dineva was let go in 2018.

CNN contributor April Ryan expressed her disappointment in a tweet early Monday.

"I'm disappointed to learn that @TEGNA has canceled @SisterCircleTV! This show offered a unique point of view from four Black hosts @RashanAli @Syleena_Johnson @AbsolutelyQuad & @TrinaBraxton! Someone else pick up this show! https://t.co/md3aFAh369 #SisterCircle #SaveSisterCircle."

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Rapper T.I. added to cast of Aretha Franklin TV series

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Rapper/actor Tip "T.I." Harris has been added to the cast of an upcoming Aretha Franklin TV project, Genius: Aretha. The "ASAP" hitmaker portrays Franklin's one-time lover, fashion designer Ken Cunningham.

Actress Cynthia Erivo will star as the late music icon in Genius: Aretha, an authorized limited TV series that chronicles the life and legacy of the late Queen of Soul.

Although production was halted earlier this month due to the global coronavirus chaos, show officials have unveiled new cast additions.

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T.I., 39, will play socially-conscious New York entrepreneur Cunningham, who approaches Aretha to invest in his fashion business, and ends up embarking on a relationship with the singer.

Cunningham eventually became the singer's road manager, and fathered her youngest son, Kecalf Cunningham, who was born in April, 1970.

Notorious star Antonique Smith and acting newcomers Tina Fears and Ethan Henry have also been added to the line-up, with Henry set to portray civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.

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The news was released to coincide with what would have been Aretha's 78th birthday on Wednesday, March 25.

Producers at National Geographic Network marked the occasion by releasing a new image of Erivo as the "Respect" legend.

Genius: Aretha, which also stars Courtney B. Vance as the musician's father, Rev. C.L. Franklin, was due to premiere this spring, but will now launch at a later date.

The TV series isn't the only screen project about Aretha in the works - Jennifer Hudson is also playing Franklin in a new movie biopic, titled Respect, which is set to debut this Christmas.

The biopic was pushed back from its previously-announced October opening, according to Deadline.

Source: WENN.com

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What quarantine? Wendy Williams returning to the airwaves next week

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Wendy Williams is ready to return to the airwaves after her daytime talk show went on mandatory hiatus amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Her last show was taped on March 12 without an audience. Wendy, 55, said she received a call telling her the network was "shutting down everything, all the networks. Nobody is going to be doing new shows. We want all the hosts to be well."

Wendy said she initially resisted going on hiatus. "I said, 'But I can do it even with no audience. I don't even have to have the staffers there because I did that for two days.' But they said, 'No. We need to have you home, indefinitely.' There will be no more Wendy or any of the other people for a period of time.'"

But after a week of quarantine with just her cats to keep her company, Wendy is going stir crazy. She misses doing what she does best: entertaining her TV audience who are like family to her.

Photo: Rahav Segev / Splash News

"I'm willing to risk it with one camera and a flashlight. I'm ready to go back to work next week," she said. "I'm ready to go back to work when we're like - come on, let's go!"

CBS News, ABC, CNN, Conde Nast, Vox Media, and the New York Times all reported cases of the coronavirus among staff.

An audio technician for NBC News died this week after testing positive for the virus. NBC Chairman Andy Lack said longtime staff member Larry Edgeworth had "suffered from other health issues that led him to succumb to the illness."

The coronavirus causes no symptoms or mild symptoms in most healthy adults. The virus causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and potentially fatal pneumonia among the elderly population, particularly those with chronic illnesses such as respiratory and heart problems.

Also at risk are smokers (cigarettes, weed) or young people who vape.