Concern over coronavirus continues to grow, and in an unprecedented move, every major late-night show that shoots in New York will tape episodes without an audience during the next two weeks in an attempt to stop the spread of the disease.
The Late Show, Late Night, The Tonight Show, Full Frontal, Last Week Tonight, and The Daily Show will all film episodes without a studio audience. Conan won’t be affected because it is pre-taped and is currently on a pre-scheduled two-week hiatus.
“The safety of our guests and employees is our top priority,” NBC said in a statement. “As a precautionary measure, starting Monday, March 16, we have decided to suspend live audiences for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night With Seth Meyers. Per guidance from New York City officials, the company is hoping to do its part to help to decrease the rate of transmission in our communities. Our shows will continue filming on their regular schedule, and currently, there will be no impact on air dates.”
CBS, Comedy Central and HBO all put out similar statements of their own, stressing that there have been no known cases of coronavirus in their studios and that they’re simply acting out of an abundance of caution. “There have not been any specific developments at The Ed Sullivan Theater to cause concern for audiences with plans to attend the show tonight, tomorrow, or who have attended in recent weeks,” the statement from CBS reads. “For several weeks, the team at the theater has been taking all necessary precautions to protect everyone who enters and works in the theater with enhanced cleaning and sanitizing procedures.”
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