ABC’s Jonathan Karl Tests Positive For Covid Days After Close Contacts With Biden and Kim Kardashian

Zachary LeemanMay 3rd, 2022, 4:31 pm
 
Jonathan Karl Tests Positive for Covid-19

Screenshot via YouTube

ABC News reporter Jonathan Karl has tested positive for Covid-19, Politico reported on Tuesday. The positive test result comes days after Karl attended the White House Correspondents Dinner (WHCD) and shook President Joe Biden’s hand. He also sat next to Kim Kardashian at the event. She is currently attending the celebrity-filled Met Gala with boyfriend and comedian Pete Davidson, who was also at the Washington D.C. event.

According to an ABC spokesperson responding to the Politico report, Karl tested positive on Monday night, but he also tested negative on Saturday ahead of the packed event, which includes more than 2000 people.

“He had no symptoms on Saturday. Jon is currently isolating and participating in contact tracing,” the spokesperson told Politico.

This year’s WHCD came under fire for being a potential super spreader event as multiple cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in the White House ahead of it. Among those officials was Vice President Kamala Harris, who has since tested negative and returned to work at the White House this week.

WHCD attendees were required to provide proof of their Covid-19 vaccination, as well as a negative test, though there were questions from critics surrounding the safety of the event. White House health advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci, for instance, did not attend the event, citing concerns about Covid-19. He did attend a pre-party beforehand though, saying the decision came after he assessed his own “personal risk.”

Karl received an award at the event and shook hands with multiple people, including the president. The 2022 WHCD followed two years of cancellations due to the Covid-19 pandemic. At the event, Karl — who published a book last year on Donald Trump’s presidency titled Betrayal — was applauded by colleagues for his reporting on the former president and the January 6 Capitol Hill riot. Karl called the event an “attack on American democracy” before exiting the stage with his award for Excellence in Presidential Coverage Under Deadline Pressure. He called the statement an “impromptu moment.”

Karl can be seen shaking the hands of Biden and others on stage before accepting his award.

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Zachary Leeman

Zachary Leeman covered pop culture and politics at outlets such as Breitbart, LifeZette, BizPac Review, HollywoodinToto, and others. He is the author of the novel Nigh. He joined Mediaite in 2022.