Producers of 'The Wendy Williams Show' have also informed staff about decision to go dark after New York's Governor and Major introduce restrictions on public gatherings, venues and events.
- Mar 13, 2020
AceShowbiz - New York's top talk shows are shutting down a day after producers announced they would continue without studio audiences due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon", "Late Night with Seth Meyers" and "The Wendy Williams Show" will all go dark from Friday, March 13 as the Governor and Major of the Big Apple introduce restrictions on public gatherings, venues and events.
"The Tonight Show", which will air on Thursday without a studio audience, and "Late Night" will pause production through their previously planned hiatus, which was scheduled for the week beginning March 23.
"We will continue to monitor the situation closely and make decisions about future shows as we get closer to the start of production," a statement from an NBC network spokesman reads.
Producers of Wendy Williams' show informed staff of the production shutdown on Thursday afternoon.
"The safety and well-being of our employees is our top priority," a statement read. "Considering the current escalation of the Coronavirus, production will be put on hold, indefinitely... We will continue to monitor the situation with the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and city officials to determine the best time to return and produce live shows again. Thank you for everything you do and please stay safe!"
New York has fast become a sports and entertainment ghost town thanks to coronavirus-related cancellations, with Broadway bosses closing all theater productions for at least a month and movie executives postponing the releases of blockbusters like "A Quiet Place: Part II", "No Time to Die", "Mulan" and "F9". Meanwhile, all basketball, soccer, ice hockey and baseball games have been cancelled until the end of the month, and many music events and gigs have been scrapped.
