KUWTK: Kim Kardashian's friend Jonathan Cheban battles Covid-19

Jonathan Cheban has not been seen much this year.

That is because the TV star, who changed his name to FoodGod, has been recovering from COVID-19, DailyMail.com has learned exclusively.

And the New Jersey native was so sick he had to bow out of shooting scenes for the 20th and last season of Keeping Up With The Kardashians alongside his best friend, 40-year-old Kim Kardashian.

‘Jonathan has been sick with COVID-19, it was a mild case, but it still kept him in bed for weeks,’ a source tells DailyMail.com.

‘He caught the virus just before New Year’s Eve, it just came out of nowhere. He had to cancel a lot of plans. And he could not go out at all, even to get groceries.’

It was added that he was bedridden. ‘Jonathan said he was in pain, his chest hurt, he had a fever, he lost his taste buds which is a very big thing because he is obsessed with food, that is why his name is FoodGod,’ said the source.

‘He normally orders in really good food from Nobu, but he was on like rice, crackers and pasta, really bland stuff, for weeks.’ 

But his case was not as bad as his friend Khloe Kardashian’s, added the source. Khloe came down with COVID-19 in the spring of 2020. Her recovery was documented on KUWTK.   

Jonathan’s mother Galina Cheban also came down with COVID which the source said ‘worried Jonathan a ton.’ 

But she too is on the mend, the insider said.

The fashion show staple did not post anything new on his Instagram page for over two weeks as he recovered.

But now the Celebrity Big Brother star is feeling ‘much better, like new.’

And Jonathan has been stay
ing home under self quarantine to stop the spread. 

‘It was very scary for him because he didn’t know how bad it could get. And plus he is normally so busy but these past few weeks he had to lay low,’ said the source.

‘He couldn’t shoot any scenes for KUWTK but he will be able to do that later. He will definitely be in the last season. He wants to be there for Kim.’

And his case of COVID will likely be addressed on the show as Khloe’s was.

Jonathan got his start as a publicist which resulted in his reality TV show The Spin Crowd.

After striking up a friendship with Kim over a decade ago, he started working with her on her public image as she was groomed from Paris Hilton’s assistant into a red carpet favorite.

That parlayed into him getting a guest starring spot on KUWTK and several spinoffs such as Kourtney & Kim Take New York and Kourtney & Kim Take Miami.

When Kim’s husband Kanye West dubbed him a ‘FoodGod’ because of his love for gourmet food, Jonathan branded himself with the name.

The Hofstra University graduate has gone on to become a spokesperson for several food chains including Burger IM and Jersey Mike Subs. 

A FoodGod video game has also come out and he has appeared in the film By Any Means. Later this year he is starring in the film The Cuisine War.

It is not known if he will pop up in the Kardashian family’s new series for Hulu which launches later this year.