Former Game Show Host Who Claimed 'Everyone Is Lying' About COVID-19 Deletes Twitter After Son Contracts It

Former game show host Chuck Woolery, who claimed on Twitter earlier this week that people are "lying" about the novel coronavirus, has deleted his account on the social media platform after announcing that his son contracted COVID-19.

Woolery, 79, first gained online attention on Sunday when President Donald Trump retweeted his tweet about "outrageous lies" surrounding coronavirus.

In a tweet that lives on digital archive websites, the former Wheel of Fortune host wrote: "The most outrageous lies are the ones about Covid 19. Everyone is lying. The CDC, Media, Democrats, our Doctors, not all but most ,that we are told to trust. I think it's all about the election and keeping the economy from coming back, which is about the election. I'm sick of it."

Days after the claim, Woolery revealed that his son had been diagnosed with coronavirus, tweeting on Wednesday, "To further clarify and add perspective, Covid-19 is real and it is here."

"My son tested positive for the virus, and I feel for of those suffering and especially for those who have lost loved ones," he said in a tweet, which was cached on an archival site.

A spokesperson for Woolery told CNN that the musician deactivated his account on Wednesday as he's "taking a break from the abuse he has received from thousands of intolerant people who purposefully mislead people on his statement, including the media."

The representative also said that Woolery's son "is fine and asymptomatic."

Woolery also briefly touched on his son's diagnosis during Thursday's episode of his podcast Blunt Force Truth, saying that he "never said Covid was a hoax" in his controversial tweet.

"There's nowhere I used 'hoax' or 'it's not real' or anything like that. I just said we've been lied to," Woolery said. "My son has it, so hopefully he's fine."

It's unclear when the episode was recorded.

CBS News correspondent Catherine Herridge approached Trump, 74, about retweeting Woolery in an interview on Tuesday, asking, "You reposted a tweet yesterday saying that CDC and health officials are lying. You understand this is confusing for the public. So who do they believe?"

"I didn't make a comment," Trump responded. "I reposted a tweet that a lot of people feel, but all I'm doing is making a comment. I'm just putting somebody's voice out there. There are many voices. There are many people that think we shouldn't do this kind of testing because all we do — it's a trap."

Woolery said on his podcast that it was "an honor to have your president retweet what your thoughts are and think it's important enough to do that."

A spokesperson for Woolery did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

As of Friday, there have been more than 3,626,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States, with at least 138,700 deaths from coronavirus-related illnesses, according to a New York Times database.

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