The pandemic is still rearing its ugly head in unexpected places and even a former American Idol winner has now caught the virus. Teenaged competitor Laine Hardy, who won Season 17 of Idol, recently announced he had contracted Covid-19 in a candid post. Thankfully for the young singer, his symptoms seem to be mild.
Laine Hardy has been out and about and in the public eye recently, sharing photos on social media of jaunts to the beach with his partner and even singing the National Anthem for the swearing in of Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard. He revealed he found out about his Covid- 19 diagnosis on the very first day of summer, aka June 20th in a post to his Instagram story.
According to Laine Hardy, his symptoms have been mild so far. The 19-year-old singer and Louisiana native is among an age group that has been hit less hard by the pandemic running around the world, at least in terms of fatalities. The ramifications of the disease and what it may do to the body are lesser known at this point, though some who contract it have been sick for extended periods of time.
As for Laine Hardy, the American Idol winner seems to be one of the lucky ones. He was tested and caught the fact that he had Covid-19 and is now quarantining at home until his symptoms pass. Prior to his diagnosis, Hardy had planned a couple of livestreaming events for his fanbase on June 25 and July 9. It is unclear if Hardy will be feeling up to performing either of those events, but tickets are still on sale via the singer’s site
Laine Hardy joins a group of celebrities who have all been confirmed positive for the novel coronavirus. Some of those celebrities, including actors like Idris Elba, have been asymptomatic. Others, including Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, both dealt with more serious symptoms. Broadway and Blue Bloods actor Nick Cordero has been hospitalized for more than two months.
As for those who attended the swearing in of Parish Sheriff Jason Ard, the Sheriff said there were “no concerns as of now” about others who attended the event, according to the Livingston Parish News. Both Jason Ard and Senator Bill Cassidy attended the event and both were more than six feet away from Laine Hardy during the event. It has been reported masks were not worn at the event.
Laine Hardy was a recent winner of American Idol back in 2019. However, he wasn’t so recent that he was involved with the Idol From Home season that ABC ran during the current pandemic. American Idol has been one of the major TV franchises that was able to get creative after production was shut down in Hollywood and many other locations around the world. The Season 18 winner of the "At Home" competition was competitor Just Sam, who had a memorable and relatable moment during her tenure in the competition during the pandemic. American Idol has already been renewed and will be back for Season 19 next TV season.
