Jimmy Kimmel and James Corden are joining their fellow late-night hosts in going without live, in-studio audiences during the coronavirus pandemic.
ABC and CBS announced Thursday that starting with their March 16 tapings, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Late Late Show With James Corden will be audience-free. CBS’ daytime show The Talk is also following the protocol, as are Comedy Central’s Lights Out With David Spade and Tosh.0. Pop TV’s One Day at a Time is also filming episodes without an audience as of Tuesday, and MTV’s Ridiculousness will go audience-less starting Thursday.
“As a precautionary measure, we have decided to temporarily suspend the live audience for Jimmy Kimmel Live! beginning Monday, March 16,” ABC said in a statement. “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 expressed similar sentiment in its statement: “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.”
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“There have been no developments at Lights Out or Tosh.0 to cause concern for audience members who have plans to attend tonight’s tapings,” VacomCBS said in a statement. “MTV’s Ridiculousness
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has also called for any gathering of more than 250 people to be postponed or canceled.
The decision comes a day after New York-based late-night shows — NBC’s Tonight Show and Late Night, CBS’ Late Show, Comedy Central’s Daily Show, TBS’ Full Frontal, HBO’s Last Week Tonight and Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live — opted to go without audiences. A host of other shows with live audiences, including The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The View and Dr. Phil, are also going without in-studio viewers for the time being.
Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards, HBO’s Night of Too Many Stars special and the annual Paley Festival in Los Angeles have also been postponed. Several movies have delayed their releases, Austin’s South by Southwest and the E3 video game convention were canceled, and the Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals were postponed. The NBA and Major League Soccer have suspended their seasons.
