Ed Sheeran performs on Saturday Night Live after isolation
Ed Sheeran performed on 'Saturday Night Live' after completing his period of quarantine.
The 30-year-old singer announced he had been diagnosed with COVID-19 on 24 October, the day after he was unveiled as the sketch show's musical guest for the 6 November episode, prompting speculation he would have to be replaced.
However, Ed finished his stint in isolation in time to be on the show and first appeared on screen in a 'Dionne Warwick Show' sketch as a celebrity guest before taking to the stage to perform two songs from his latest album '=', 'Shivers' and 'Overpass Graffiti'.
The 'Shape of You' hitmaker had been noticeably missing from 'SNL' promos with this week's guest host Kieran Culkin, but he insisted ahead of the broadcast that his performance had never been in doubt.
He told DJ Howard Stern: "I don't know why there was a huge uproar about that. Everyone was saying they were scrambling to find a replacement, [but] I was always playing that."
Ed - whose 15-month-old daughter Lyra also contracted the virus - admitted it was "quite an odd thing" having to share his diagnosis with the world.
He said: "My wife [Cherry] was away, so, I was there with my daughter ... She had it, too, so it was kind of heavy.
"It's quite an odd thing getting [COVID-19] and then having to announce it to the world. I'm still sort of being treated [like I have it]."
It had been claimed that 'SNL' producers had been frantically searching to replace Ed on the show with “another singer who appeals to the same demo,” with Shawn Mendes and Justin Bieber among the possibilities.
The idea the 'Castle on the Hill' hitmaker could perform remotely from the UK was also mooted but deemed unlikely.
The insider said: “Ed is offering to perform live via video link, but this isn’t something ‘SNL’ does. The show likes to have the performer in studio.”
