'Tonight Show' & 'Late Night' Suspend Production Amid Coronavirus

[UPDATE: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is also suspending production. CBS said in a statement: “The Late Show has postponed production on the three original episodes scheduled for next week, which lead into a previously scheduled hiatus. We will continue to monitor the situation closely with plans to return on Monday, March 30.”]

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Meyers have shut down production due to the coronavirus pandemic, Deadline reports.

The New York-based shows – along with The Wendy Williams Show – previously announced that they would shoot with no studio audience.

The Tonight Show will tape an original episode on Thursday (March 12) with no audience. Late Night will not film an episode today, and an encore episode will air. A new “Closer Look” will be shown as a digital exclusive instead.

Starting on Friday, The Tonight Show and Late Night will halt production through their previously scheduled hiatus, which was planned for the week of 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,” NBC said in a statement.

The Wendy Williams Show producers wrote the following to their staff: “The safety and well-being of our employees is our top priority. Considering the current escalation of the Coronavirus, production will be put on hold, indefinitely. However, the office will remain open for you to pick up any materials or personal items. In place of live shows we will air repeats and we will continue to monitor the situation with the CDC 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!”

Get the latest coronavirus updates here.