Late night is no more, at least for the time being. Production of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, and Late Night With Seth Meyers will suspend starting next week in wake of the coronavirus pandemic, NBC and CBS announced Thursday night.
The statement retracts their previous announcements that the series would tape without a live studio audience, with Comedy Central’s The Daily Show With Trevor Noah, TBS’ Full Frontal With Samantha Bee, and HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver all affirming the same, as they are filmed in New York. There has been no statment from Comedy Central, TBS, nor HBO regarding if these programs will additionally halt production.
Fallon, Colbert, and Meyers will return to hosting no earlier than March 30, NBC and CBS stated. NBC’s Saturday Night Live, which additionally films at Rockefeller Plaza much like Late Night and The Tonight Show, remains on hiatus until March 28.
The move comes from fear of spreading the virus on set, as voiced by Rob Burnett, former executive producer of Late Show with David Letterman stating to The New York Times, “God forbid you stay on the air too long and someone in the building gets hurt by this… That transcends anything you might be doing on television. It’s a very challenging situation.”
To get their late night fix, audiences can suffice themselves through reruns and episodes filmed this week, albeit without the laughter of a live-taped show.