In New York, the resurgent pandemic is continuing to take its toll on the performing arts and is interfering with the late-night comedy shows that are produced in the city. A positive coronavirus test resulted in the cancellation of Seth Meyers‘ “Late Night with Seth Meyers” tapings, which will continue through the end of the week, according to Meyers on Tuesday.
As Meyers explained in a tweet sent out early on Tuesday morning: “The bad news is that I tested positive for COVID (thanks, 2022!) The good news is that I feel well (thanks to immunizations and boosters!).” He went on to say that “Late Night” will most certainly return in a remote format the following week, and he encouraged viewers to “tune in next Monday to see what great place we will attempt to pass off as a studio!!”
In a broadcast that featured a live studio audience as well as guests (including cast members from the NBC drama “This Is Us” and musician David Byrne) who appeared in remote interviews, Meyers, a former “Saturday Night Live” cast member, had just returned to “Late Night” after a holiday break. Meyers is a former “Saturday Night Live” cast member.
Along with “S.N.L.” and “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “Late Night” is one of numerous NBC shows produced in the network’s flagship New York headquarters, located at 30 Rockefeller Plaza.
According to a source familiar with the show’s procedures who requested anonymity because the individual was not permitted to talk publicly, Meyers tested negative on Monday after being subjected to daily drug testing. NBC refused to provide any more information beyond Meyers’ tweet.
Fallon, the host of the “Tonight Show,” said that he had tested positive for the coronavirus during the holidays and that he had suffered “minor symptoms” when his show was on a planned break over the break. On Monday, he returned to anchor “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”
The pandemic’s impact on the last “S.N.L.” broadcast of 2021, which aired on December 18, was also felt to a large extent. It was broadcast without the presence of a live audience or a musical guest, and with the majority of the show’s usual cast members missing.
