Many of the New York-based late-night shows are shutting their doors to live audiences in the face of Coronavirus spreading across the United States.
The shows closing their doors starting Monday include The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Daily Show With Trevor Noah, Late Night With Seth Meyers, Last Week Tonight, and Watch What Happens Live. Full Frontal With Samantha Bee is shutting down its live audience, starting immediately.
No word yet on if Los Angeles-based late-night shows will be following suit. Popular late-night shows filmed in LA include Late Late Show With James Corden, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and Conan. Conan has pretaped the remainder of its shows for this week. The TBS show will take a preplanned two-week break beginning next week, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Many of the late-night shows have put forward statements citing guidance from New York City officials as contributing to the decision.
Coronavirus outside of late-night
Coronavirus has disrupted numerous aspects of everyday life so far in 2020. From sports teams playing in empty stadiums to an entire American professional sports league being suspended. These decisions will massively impact television alone.
That’s not to mention the rest of the industries that have been affected by what the World Health Organization today deemed a pandemic. Numerous conventions, including E3 and TwitchCon, have been canceled due to the virus.
It’s certainly disappointing that events are being canceled, and media is being altered due to the virus. Staying vigilant is the most important thing, however. Part of that is avoiding large crowds, like those found at late-night shows. These companies and events are doing their best to slow the spread of a deadly disease, and that’s admirable.
In light of the pandemic, the World Health Organization recommends washing your hands frequently. It also recommends avoiding people who are coughing or sneezing, avoiding touching your face, and seeking medical care early for fevers, coughs, or difficulty breathing.
