NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell said Thursday that he has tested positive for COVID-19.
"I recently have been feeling under the weather and just learned that I have tested positive for Covid-19," Shell said in a company-wide email. "Although the virus has been tough to cope with, I have managed to work remotely in LA and am improving every day."
Shell, 59, took over as the company's CEO in January, succeeding long-time CEO Steve Burke. In his first three months running the company, he's seen the company's signature event, the 2020 Summer Olympics, postponed due to coronavirus, and now he says he has the virus himself.
Shell included the news in an email thanking employees for their hard work through the current crisis and urging them to continue to work from home.
"The other reason to work from home is that in the event you contract the virus, it will limit the number of your colleagues you inadvertently expose," he wrote. "As some of you now know, I myself am in this category."
Shell's news comes days after Larry Edgeworth, a longtime NBC News employee, died after contracting the coronavirus. Edgeworth had worked for NBC News for 25 years in a variety of roles, most recently as an audio engineer.
"Our hearts go out to his family, friends and co-workers," Shell said.
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Shell joined Comcast in 2004 to run a group of cable channels, including E!, the Golf Channel and regional sports networks. In 2013, Burke appointed Shell to run Universal Pictures and some other entertainment groups. In 2019, NBC Entertainment, Telemundo and NBCU's international operations were added to his portfolio, setting him up to take over the CEO role when Burke retired.
