Several television shows in the United States have decided not to tape in front of a live studio audience following the spread of the novel coronavirus through the country. Ellen DeGeneres, host of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, announced on Twitter that she will continue shooting her talkshow without a studio audience. She apologised saying she was “doing this for the health of my fans, my staff and my crew.”
Producers Telepictures issued a statement saying, “With the rapidly changing nature of the COVID-19 outbreak, and out of concern for our audience attending The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Telepictures will suspend audience attendance during tapings effective Monday, 16 March. This temporary measure will be reviewed on an ongoing basis and will not impact the production schedule of Ellen.”
Late night shows have taken similar precautions. CBS’ Late Show With Stephen Colbert, NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night With Seth Meyers, Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver are among those who have also announced that they would tape their broadcasts in theatres and studios without a live audience.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)