Fox News co-host Juan Williams tests positive for COVID-19

Juan Williams, co-host of the Fox News afternoon talk show “The Five,” has tested positive for COVID-19, the television personality confirmed with The Hill. 

Williams, who is also a columnist at The Hill, said he was informed that he had tested positive Thursday after a routine Monday weekly test at Fox News’s New York headquarters. Upon receiving the news, he took another test, which confirmed he was carrying the virus. 

The 66-year-old added that he is experiencing “flu-like symptoms,” including chills and headaches. He added that he was taken from New York to Washington, D.C., where he is staying at a hotel so as not to infect his wife. 

Williams said that while he was “worried” about whether his condition might worsen, he was “humbled by the outpouring” of support he has received after news began to circulate of his diagnosis. 

The New York Times first reported the news, citing two people who were briefed on his condition. 

Williams had taped a live episode of “The Five” in New York on Wednesday along with several co-hosts, including conservative commentators Jesse Watters and Greg Gutfeld. The hosts all sat about 7 feet apart due to the pandemic. 

When contacted by The Hill, a Fox News Media spokesperson said in a statement that Fox “will continue to take all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of our staff, including broadcasting The Five via home studios for the foreseeable future.”

“Since the start of the pandemic, FOX News Media has implemented strict company-wide protocols adhering to all CDC and state guidelines, including regular testing of all in-studio, on-air personalities, mask mandates and daily health assessments for all employees entering the building,” the spokesperson added. 

A person familiar with the matter told The Hill that Williams left for vacation on Nov. 18 and did not return to the Fox building until Nov. 30. 

Williams did not appear on Thursday’s episode of “The Five,” in which the other hosts were included remotely. 

Williams serves as a more liberal-leaning voice on the Fox News show, frequently criticizing President Trump for his response to the pandemic. 

On Wednesday, Williams called Watters “shameful” for promoting Trump’s since-debunked claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election. 

Williams was among a group of Fox News stars and executives in September who were potentially exposed to the virus at the first presidential debate in Cleveland. Days after the event, Trump announced he had contracted the virus. 

According to the Times, Williams was believed to have been exposed again in October after traveling back from the second presidential debate in Nashville with a Fox News employee who later tested positive.