October 1, 2021
Watch: 'DWTS' Star Cody Rigsby Sick with COVID a Second Time; Vaccination Makes a 'Night and Day' Difference
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
"Dancing with the Stars" contestant and celebrity Peloton instructor Cody Rigsby said in an Instagram post that he is sick with COVID for the second time – but now that he's been vaccinated, the disease is much less miserable.
Rigsby took to social media to explain that he would need to take some time off in order to recover, Deadline reported.
"While I am fully vaccinated and took many precautions, following CDC guidelines, I recently tested positive for Covid-19," Rigsby posted on September 30. "To properly rest and recover as well as avoid exposing others, I will be taking a break in the coming days."
While it is still possible to contract COVID after having already had it, or even after having gotten vaccinated, the active antibodies in a person's system that result from the vaccination help prevent the illness from becoming serious.
In a video he posted with the written post, Rigsby noted that was the case for himself. Getting vaccinated against COVID ended up making the second bout a much less miserable experience.
"I right now have really mild symptoms," Rigsby, 34, said. "Congestion, a little bit of a headache, a cough. But in comparison to when I had COVID earlier this year, it is night and day. So that must be the vaccine antibodies working. So we're super grateful for that."
"As far as my fate on 'Dancing with the Stars,' we're still trying to figure that out right now, so please be patient," Rigsby added, before joking, "I know what you're thinking right now: Cody looks so good for having COVID...ain't no way you're plastering this video all over the internet and I'm gonna look a busted mess."
Ironically, it was the COVID-19 pandemic that helped propel the Peloton instructor to celebrity status. With his streaming workout sessions eventually reaching three million followers who were stuck exercising at home, Rigsby became known as the "King of Quarantine."
People Magazine noted that Rigsby's partner on "Dancing with the Stars," Cheryl Burke, had also come down with COVID. Burke shared the news on Sept. 26.
"Dancing with the Stars" judges "scored the duo based on their rehearsal performance video" on the Sept. 27 episode, People Magazine detailed.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
