NBCUniversal CEO tests positive for coronavirus

The CEO of NBCUniversal has tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus.

Jeff Shell, who has headed NBCUniversal since January, revealed the news in a Thursday staff memo. "I recently have been feeling under the weather and just learned that I have tested positive for COVID-19," he wrote, reports The Wrap. He said "the virus has been tough to cope with," though he has "managed to work remotely in LA and am improving every day."

Shell made this announcement after emphasizing the importance of working from home amid the pandemic when possible, writing, "for those of you who can do your jobs from home, it is absolutely critical that you do so."

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In the memo, Shell also wrote that "our hearts go out" to the family, friends, and co-workers of Larry Edgeworth, the NBC News staffer who recently died after testing positive for COVID-19. He additionally discussed the "innovative" steps the company has been taking amid the pandemic, including releasing films like The Invisible Man for home viewing months early.

Among the most high-profile names who have in recent weeks tested positive for the novel coronavirus include Prince Charles, Tom Hanks, Idris Elba, and Andy Cohen. Playwright Terrence McNally died of COVID-19 on Tuesday. The Hollywood Reporter's Tatiana Siegel notes, though, that Shell is "by far the biggest Hollywood exec to be affected."