Coronavirus

The cast members of "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" weren't the only ones at Bravo fighting COVID, honcho Andy Cohen had the illness as well, and just finished his 10-day quarantine ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us Cohen tested positive for COVID -- his second bout with the disease -- two weeks ago. We're told Andy quarantined at home, and has since tested negative.

Our sources say Andy was fully vaccinated, helping to reduce his symptoms.

It was in March of last year when Andy first had COVID, posting, "After a few days of self-quarantine, and not feeling great, I have tested positive for Coronavirus. As much as I felt like I could push through whatever I was feeling to do #WWHL from home, we’re putting a pin in that for now so I can focus on getting better..."

Rafael Nadal tested positive for COVID-19 ... after returning to Spain following an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi last weekend, the tennis star announced on Monday.

"I am having some unpleasant moments but I hope that I will improve little by little," Nadal tweeted, "I am now homebound and have reported the result to those who have been in contact with me."

The 35-year-old -- who previously said he was vaccinated -- is now uncertain if he will compete in the Australian Open ... which begins on January 17.

“I cannot guarantee Australia 100 percent because I need to go home and see how the body responds after these days,” Nadal said. “I have time to make a decision. At this point in my career, I need to go day by day, study each movement well."

Of course, it's been a tough year for Nadal -- he skipped Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics due to a back injury that plagued him the first part of last season.

Nadal -- who is tied with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic with 20 grand slam titles -- was sidelined and forced to miss the rest of the season after a chronic foot problem resurfaced.

We've already seen Federer and Serena Williams withdraw from the Australian Open due to injuries ... so losing Nadal, as well, would be a major blow to the tournament's star power.

Congress appears to have a rash of COVID spreading amongst its ranks -- with Sen. Cory Booker being the 2nd elected official this weekend to announce he's positive.

Booker broke the news Sunday, writing ... "I learned today that I tested positive for COVID-19 after first feeling symptoms on Saturday. My symptoms are relatively mild." He threw in a plug for vaccines, adding ... "I’m beyond grateful to have received two doses of vaccine and, more recently, a booster – I’m certain that without them I would be doing much worse."

Booker's COVID news comes on the heels of Sen. Elizabeth Warren declaring the same just hours earlier ... saying she too had caught the 'rona.

SEW writes, "I regularly test for COVID & while I tested negative earlier this week, today I tested positive with a breakthrough case."

She also expressed gratitude for being vaccinated, saying ... "Thankfully, I am only experiencing mild symptoms & am grateful for the protection provided against serious illness that comes from being vaccinated & boosted."

Of course, this just proves that being vaxxed (and boosted) can still result in someone contracting the virus -- especially with the Omicron variant on the loose and spreading fast all throughout the nation. But, as the Senators mentioned, they'd be doggone sick (if not worse) had they opted not to get vaccinated.

Interestingly enough, these cases follow Southwest Airline's CEO also coming down with 'rona late last week -- this after testifying during a Senate hearing (which didn't include either of the above Senators, BTW) ... where he was noticeably seen coughing and mask-less.

Thanks a lot, COVID ... poor Paul Rudd's feeling "extremely disappointed" his 5th time hosting 'SNL' turned into a patched-together show with almost none of the regular cast, and 2 big guests.

As we reported ... multiple 'SNL' staffers had tested positive, and Lorne Michaels decided to pull the live audience and most of the cast. Tom Hanks and Tina Fey opened the show, explaining most of that, and then did what they were really there to do ... induct Paul into the 5-timers club.

Kenan Thompson brought out Paul's 5-timers robe ... but joked Rudd was really only hosting 4 and a half times.

Most of the show was a best of previous holiday episodes with a few fresh pre-recorded videos from earlier in the week. Tina stuck around to do Weekend Update with Michael Che. She immediately addressed Jost’s absence saying, “It’s not what you think. He’s getting some work done.”

Fey and Che didn't even sit behind the usual update desk ... and instead sat on the main stage, delivering their jokes to Kenan, Tom and Paul.

Che had the night's most timely joke when he did a news item about the judge in Louisiana who was caught on video saying the N-word -- saying it's "the kind of story that makes me wonder, why are me and Kenan the only cast members here?”

As we'd told you ... even musical guest Charli XCX was scratched hours before the broadcast due to the scaled-down production -- but she did appear in one of the pre-recorded bits.

Cases of COVID-19 are ramping up again in the United States -- and the omicron variant has firmly planted roots -- but that doesn't mean things will slow down on the Las Vegas Strip, which is set to go buck wild for NYE.

We've spoken with club sources across Sin City who all tell us the same thing -- their hyped-up party plans to ring in 2022 aren't changing a bit. In fact, Vegas might become an even bigger party destination for the big night if other cities start to shut down.

As for some of the bigger events ...
- The Chainsmokers will be at XS Nightclub
- Zedd at Zouk Nightclub
- Lil Jon at JEWEL Nightclub
- Rick Ross at Drais
- Steve Aoki at Omnia

Almost every party still has tickets available online, meaning venue capacity can still hold more people.

However, we are told casinos and clubs will continue to adhere to the mask mandate put in place by NV Governor Steve Sisolak. The mandate asks patrons to wear masks while inside indoor spaces unless eating or drinking, but as you can imagine, there will be plenty of drinking on NYE.

Of course, those government regulations could get much stricter if the situation worsens -- but as of now, it's full steam ahead.

The Omicron variant is all over the Big Apple, and a new spike in cases has got everyone spooked -- including the folks over at 'SNL' ... who will go without a live audience tonight.

"Saturday Night Live" honchos made the announcement Saturday, just hours before showtime ... with Paul Rudd slated to step in as host, and Charli XCX as musical guest. There were rumors they may nix the show entirely, but they met somewhere in the middle.

The official 'SNL' IG page posted a new message, which reads ... "Due to the recent spike in the Omicron variant and out of an abundance of caution, there will be no live audience for tonight's taping of 'Saturday Night Live' and the show will have limited cast and crew."

The statement goes on to say their show continues to follow all government safety protocols, with rigorous testing in place.

The limited cast and crew line is curious in the wake of a report claiming 4 'SNL' members actually caught the 'rona -- which a production source confirms to TMZ. There were also rumblings that 3 others called in sick out of fear, but we're told that's not accurate.

In any case, it's clear they're working without at least a handful of people tonight -- at this point, it's unclear who's out sick ... or if Paul or Charli are expected to show at this point.

PR was featured in a promo they just put up earlier today, so presumably ... he might still be available. Of course, it's a huge deal -- as this is the last show of the year before they go on a little hiatus ... so it'll be interesting to see how they handle the last-minute changes.

We've reached out to a rep for 'SNL' ... so far, no word back.

Santas of all varieties -- malls, town squares and backyards -- are back to putting smiles (mostly) on kids faces, thanks to the COVID vaccines, but with omicron creeping ... it's still not as jolly a gig.

While last Christmas hit while the pandemic was still raging ... 2021 is our first with the advent of mass vaccination, and several Santa orgs tell us that means they can get back to doing what they do best.

For instance, Santa Jim in central NJ tells us he is fully vaccinated, and when doing private events at homes ... he looks for customers who are willing to be temperature checked and masked. That's the adults, anyway, but for the kids ... it gets a little tricky.

As Santa J pointed out ... most tikes under 5 haven't gotten the shot ... so, it falls on the Santas to try to keep everyone -- including himself -- as safe as possible, and how they choose to do that is as individual as Santa's reindeer.

One Philly Santa, aka Chuck Gill, tells us there are 2 kinds of Santas -- standing or sitting. The standing ones, like himself, mostly do meet and greet photos with kids. Chuck says, at his events, he requires them to be vaxxed and masked -- and while he's aware of other Santas doing the more traditional sit-down thing, he says they're also requiring vaccinations and face masks.

In the Midwest, things are a bit different ... according to Owen Davenport from the Indiana Santa Claus Society. He says he's not wearing a mask, nor does he require it of the kids sitting on his lap. Yeah, he's the sitting kind and, clearly, feels safe.

Owen says he's had 3 shots, and his crew of elves are all vaxxed too -- but he will mask up if a family requests it. Still, unless a family says otherwise ... Santa Owen only takes mask-free photos.

Down in Texas, HireSanta.com CEO Mitch Allen is back to sending out Santas to malls, tree lighting events, parades and more ... but he stresses they do not ask about children's vaccination status because that's a state and county government issue. Plus, he knows most of the really young kids just aren't eligible for a shot.

What they are doing is social distancing ... often putting Santa on his throne while kids sit on a bench about 4-6 feet in front of him. It still allows for a good photo, while keeping everyone safe. Interestingly, his company doesn't require vaccination for Santas -- hey, it's Texas -- but he says they hire both vaxxed and unvaxxed in order to meet demand.

He adds that the omicron variant has meant more calls from customers requesting fully vaxxed Santas for their events. Mitch says the Santa biz has been hard hit by the pandemic -- many choosing to retire, which has slashed his roster by around 10 percent compared to the good ol' days of 2019.

Chrissy Teigen thinks she was being tricked by our photog, who asked if people at her XMAS celebration would be wearing masks, but the fact is ... it's a legit question in the middle of this pandemic, and the irony is -- what she said is the exact right answer.

Chrissy tweeted, "TMZ just asked me if I'd be wearing a mask at my family Christmas and I said no? and now I feel like I've been tricked into a story about how I won't wear a mask this Christmas. just know I am pro mask but don't really wear one inside with my husband and kids I guess?"

There's no trickery ... Chrissy made it clear, she'll only have 8 folks around the table for Christmas dinner, and everyone is vaccinated except Miles, who is only 3. Now it's true ... with the Omicron variant even fully vaccinated people may be spreaders -- especially if they haven't been boosted -- and she wasn't specific about that. Nevertheless, there's no hard-and-fast rule if everyone's vaccinated except a small child -- a lot depends on testing and how careful the others have been.

Fact is -- Chrissy's an influencer, so what she does will register with others, and she made it clear the only ones who were invited are immediate fam and everyone who can get vaccinated did.

Sure looks like Cheryl Hines just got Jennifer Garner-ed ... her husband Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is passing the buck on who suggested their holiday party guests should be vaccinated, and the blame's falling at her feet.

The backstory here is RFK Jr. is an established anti-vaxxer -- or at least anti-vaxx mandate -- for children, so some guests were shocked to see invites to his and Cheryl's shindig included a recommendation attendees should be inoculated ... according to Politico.

Kennedy's explanation to Politico was, "I guess I'm not always the boss at my own house."

🤔

Well, he didn't call Cheryl out by name, but  ... the insinuation's pretty clear.

Kennedy also said his guests weren't carded at the door -- it was more of an honor system type thing.

Cardi B is delivering some bad news to fans hoping to get their hands on one of her dolls ... the product won't be released over production delays and concerns about the product's quality.

Here's the deal ... Cardi and Real Women Are -- a fashion doll brand -- joined forces to make a limited edition Cardi B doll, which they started taking pre-orders for in March at $35 a pop, but shipping deadlines were missed and folks started thinking it was all a scam.

The Real Women Are Instagram started to get flooded with unhappy customers wanting to know where their Cardi B-inspired doll was and demanding refunds.

Welp, brace yourself Bardi gang.

The role of Grinch will now be played by a rep for Cardi B, who tells TMZ ... the dolls will not be released as a result of COVID-related manufacturing and shipping delays. We're also told Cardi herself had concerns the dolls wouldn't meet her high-quality standards.

The Rockettes are canceling the rest of their 2021 performances because COVID is once again causing havoc in NYC.

The Radio City staple says they just can't continue their Christmas Spectacular due to "increasing challenges from the pandemic." Those challenges include a COVID outbreak among the production team, plus musicians in the orchestra ... including a swath of breakthrough cases.

The Rockettes had a big show scheduled for Friday night, but after it got the ax folks outside the venue in Midtown Manhattan were reportedly crying, and now the whole season is 86'd.

The Rockette's Christmas Spectacular is a holiday tradition in the Big Apple, where COVID cases are reaching daily highs and breaking records even though we are nearly 2 years into the pandemic.

While things seemed to be getting back to normal in the entertainment world, events are getting scrapped left and right and professional and college sports teams are dealing with outbreaks that are messing with their game schedules.

Kyrie Irving is BACK -- well, partially -- the NBA superstar will soon play in road games and practice at home with the Brooklyn Nets, the team just announced Friday.

Irving has already begun the process of returning to the team ... as he's undergoing team COVID-19 testing, according to Shams Charania.

Due to NYC's current mandates, Irving hasn't played a game or practiced with the Nets all season ... as he remained unvaccinated.

As we previously reported, the Nets took a strong stance against Irving's unwillingness to get the jab ... telling him in October to stay home instead of playing when he could.

While there were reports Irving was anti-vax, he adamantly denied it ... saying he was standing up for local workers who were being forced into getting vaccinated in order to save their jobs.

Now, it appears both Irving and the Nets have reached an agreement that will allow him to suit up for the Nets in some capacity soon, but his return date has not been determined yet.

Irving even teased his comeback earlier this week ... showing himself putting on his sneakers.

Baker Mayfield is getting his wish -- Cleveland's matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday has been pushed back 'til Monday ... after a crap ton of Browns players tested positive for COVID-19.

The league had been dragging its feet all week ... insisting it would NOT move the schedule around -- even with Baker, head coach Kevin Stefanski and a constantly growing list of players getting added to the COVID-19/reserve list.

But, with safety -- and quality of play -- becoming an even bigger issue if the Browns and Raiders took the field as planned, Roger Goodell made the decision to have the game go down on Monday.

There's more -- the Seahawks and Rams game is potentially moving to Tuesday ... and the Washington Football Team and Philadelphia Eagles' matchup could be moved as well.

As we previously reported, Mayfield was pissed with the league's handling of the COVID-19 outbreaks this week ... saying, "Make up your damn mind on protocols."

The NFL just announced drastic changes to its COVID-19 protocols ... eliminating in-person meals and requiring more masks as cases surge across the league.

Officials announced the moves in a memo to teams on Thursday ... placing tighter restrictions on coaches and players in order to "address the increase in cases and the advent of the Omicron variant."

In addition to more masking and no more face-to-face meals ... the league is also ordering teams to conduct remote or outdoor meetings, as well as ban outside visitors on road trips.

"We will continue to strongly encourage booster shots as the most effective protection," the league added in its memo.

NFL officials also said they are looking into adjusting "return-to-participation requirements for those who have recovered from COVID-19" -- potentially opening the door for players to see the field sooner following a positive COVID test.

Of course, this all comes on the heels of the NFL seeing teams lose some of their biggest stars due to the virus -- with players like Jalen Ramsey, Odell Beckham Jr. and Baker Mayfield having all been sidelined this week due to positive tests.

The NFL contends that the changes it's proposing are grounded in data and backed by science, and that the safety of its players, coaches, personnel, and entire NFL community is the No. 1 goal.

Joe Biden has just inserted himself into Aaron Rodgers' COVID vaccine drama ... with the President telling a Packers fan in Kentucky that he wants the QB to get vaxxed ASAP.

Biden made the quip while visiting tornado-ravaged parts of the Bluegrass State ... whispering to a woman in a Green Bay cap and shirt, "Tell that quarterback he's gotta get the vaccine."

Cameras caught the moment between the two ... showing the Packers fan and others around her laughing out loud at Biden's comment.

Of course, Rodgers has famously said he's not vaccinated ... telling Pat McAfee earlier this year he's actually allergic to the Pfizer and Moderna versions of the shots.

Rodgers also said he just flat-out doesn't want the Johnson & Johnson jab, claiming its reported side effects have made that not an option for him either.

Rodgers has been ripped by many for his stance ... with Howard Stern saying Rodgers should be booted from the NFL over it all.

Jason Hitch, who was a pivotal part of season 2 of "90 Day Fiancé" has died after complications from COVID-19 ... TMZ has learned.

Jason's sister, Shannon tells us he passed away Tuesday night inside the ICU of a Florida hospital. We're told Jason's family was able to be with him when he died and held his hand in his final moments. Shannon says Jason was not vaccinated and did not have preexisting medical conditions, to the family's knowledge.

Hitch died from complications of COVID-19 and perhaps other factors, Shannon says.

Jason appeared on season 2 of the show in 2014 and was married to Cássia Tavares -- a Brazilian woman who had moved to the United States to be with Jason -- they separated in 2017 and filed for divorce in 2018.

Jason was a first lieutenant in the Army reserves in Florida. Shannon tells us he was a "true and honest shooter, a great officer and leader to his men."

Jason was 45.