Los Angeles’ top late-night hosts will stop incorporating live audiences into their broadcasts over the next few days, amid rising fears about the spread of coronavirus in the region.
On Thursday, the networks announced that ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live, CBS’ The Late Late Show with James Corden and The Talk will tape without an audience beginning Monday, March 16.
This comes just hours after their New York counterparts including Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon made the same announcement.
ABC said in a statement:’As a precautionary measure, we have decided to temporarily suspend the live audience for Jimmy Kimmel Live beginning Monday, March 16th.
Precautions: On Thursday the networks announced that ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live (Left), CBS’ The Late Late Show with James Corden (right) will tape without an audience beginning Monday, March 16
Interesting: CBS chat show The Talk will also film without a studio audience (pictured from left to right: Sheryl Underwood, Carrie Ann Inaba, Sharon Osbourne, Eve Cooper, and Marie Osmond)
‘The show will continue to film as scheduled and air dates will not be affected. We will continue to monitor the situation as the safety of our employees and guests are of the utmost importance.’
CBS addressed both Corden and The Talk as they announced: ‘Out of an abundance of caution, The Late Late Show with James Corden and The Talk will forego their live studio audiences beginning Monday, March 16.
‘At this time, no disruptions to the on-air schedules are expected. We will continue to monitor the situation, as the health and safety of our audience and production staffs is our top priority.’
‘As a precautionary measure’: Kimmel seen with his audience in February 2013
‘At this time, no disruptions to the on-air schedules are expected’: Corden pictured with his audience on Monday
California Gavin Newsom said on Wednesday night that gatherings of more than 250 or more people should be postponed or canceled across the stage at least until the end of March which obviously put pressure on the networks.
The same night Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Trevor Noah, John Oliver, Samantha Bee and Greg Gutfeld all said that they would tape their broadcasts in theaters and studios without audience members.
In the US Wednesday night more than 1,300 people were confirmed to have coronavirus and 38 people had died. There were 220 cases in New York state.
Globally there were 125,743 confirmed cases and 4,610 deaths.
Interesting: This comes just hours after their New York counterparts including Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon made the same announcement. Pictured, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert during Tuesday’s February 4, 2020 live show
‘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,’ the NBC statement read. Jimmy Fallon is pictured with an audience of servicemen and servicewomen on May 23, 2019
In the US Wednesday night 1,135 people were confirmed to have coronavirus and 38 people had died. There were 220 cases in New York
The announcement from New York networks came as Donald Trump enforced a European travel ban due to prevent the spread of COVID-19 from abroad. Shortly afterward House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer blasted the president for failing to do enough to prevent community spread.
NBC, which broadcasts the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night With Seth Meyers, cited the safety of guests and employees as the ‘top priority’.
‘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,’ the NBC statement read. ‘Our shows will continue filming on their regular schedule, and currently, there will be no impact on air dates.’
CBS is home to the Late Show With Stephen Colbert.
‘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,’ CBS said in a statement.
‘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.
‘For the past several weeks, The Late Show producers have consulted daily to share information with other New York-based late night shows, who will also be moving forward without an audience.’
In statements, the shows indicated their staffers were well, but that producers felt performing with live crowds would not be safe or smart.
Trevor Noah (pictured), John Oliver, Samantha Bee and Greg Gutfeld are all hosts affected
‘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,’ CBS said in a statement about Colbert (pictured)
NBC, which broadcasts the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (pictured right) and Late Night With Seth Meyers (left), cited the safety of guests and employees as the ‘top priority’
TBS’ Full Frontal with Samantha Bee started the policy Wednesday evening.
‘Bee says she will instead “do the show in front of a mirror, which I actually prefer”,’ the statement joked. ‘Despite the efforts being taken, we still have heard from Sean Spicer that tonight’s taping “was the largest audience ever to witness an [taping of Full Frontal], period, both in person and around the globe.” Wow!’
Fox News Channel’s The Greg Gutfeld Show will implement the change Saturday and HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver show will commence with a new plan on Monday.
‘We are taking this precaution in accordance with best practices as outlined by New York City officials,’ HBO said in a statement to the Daily Beast. ‘We will continue to monitor the situation.’
The weeknight programs will all stop using audiences as of Monday, March 16. Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Trevor Noah is included.
There was no immediate information provided on whether NBC’s Saturday Night Live would use a live audience for its coming rehearsals or broadcasts. The show’s next original episode is not scheduled until March 28.
Live audiences are a key element of the late-night format.
Their reactions often spur the hosts to make unscripted remarks and the shows usually feed off of a live crowd’s energy.
All the shows have staffers in place whose job it is to raise the audience’s energy in advance of a taping.
At NBC, Late Night and Tonight often test Fallon’s and Meyer’s opening monologues in front of a smaller audience group in advance of a taping and producers at Saturday Night Live use audience reaction during rehearsals to help them determine which sketches will work for the show’s official broadcast.
At CBS the pandemic spread beyond live audience shows. Also Wednesday, the network said production on the 41st edition of Survivor has been postponed in response to the spread of the coronavirus.
Filming was scheduled to begin later this month in Fiji, but CBS now says production will start on May 19.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.
The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.
Shows like that of John Oliver (pictured) see live audiences as a key element of the late-night format. Their reactions often spur the hosts to make unscripted remarks and the shows usually feed off of a live crowd’s energy