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‘Ellen DeGeneres Show’ To Air Without Live Audience Over Coronavirus Concerns

By Michael Bamidele

12 March 2020   |   8:55 am

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As from Monday the 16th, American television variety comedy talk show 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' will suspend filming with a live studio audience over coronavirus concerns. According to Variety, a spokesperson for the show announced; “With the rapidly changing nature of the COVID-19 outbreak, and out of concern for our audience attending ‘The Ellen DeGeneres…

Ellen Degeneres | Image: Variety/WARNER BROS TELEVISION

As from Monday the 16th, American television variety comedy talk show ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show‘ will suspend filming with a live studio audience over coronavirus concerns.

According to Variety, a spokesperson for the show announced;

“With the rapidly changing nature of the COVID-19 outbreak, and out of concern for our audience attending ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show,’ Telepictures will suspend audience attendance during tapings effective Monday, March 16. This temporary measure will be reviewed on an ongoing basis and will not impact the production schedule of ‘Ellen.’”

The comedy show’s host, actress and comedian Ellen DeGeneres took her Twitter page to also announce the new development;

“I have some news. For now, I’ll be shooting my show with no studio audience. To everyone who was looking forward to coming, I’m so sorry. But I’m doing this for the health of my fans, my staff & my crew. (It has nothing to do with a warrant for my arrest in the state of Florida.)”

I have some news. For now, I’ll be shooting my show with no studio audience. To everyone who was looking forward to coming, I’m so sorry. But I’m doing this for the health of my fans, my staff & my crew. (It has nothing to do with a warrant for my arrest in the state of Florida.)

— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) March 12, 2020

The show has received 166 Daytime Emmy Award nominations and has won 61 Daytime Emmy Awards as of 2019, including four for Outstanding Talk Show and seven for Outstanding Talk Show Entertainment. The talk show’s YouTube channel is in the top 20 most-subscribed YouTube channels.

The show is one out of a number of shows suspending live studio audience as the deadly coronavirus spreads across the globe. On Tuesday evening, The Wendy Williams Show also announced that it is restricting access to its live audience for the first time ever in its 11 seasons due to coronavirus concerns.

The Guardian Uk reports that the total number of coronavirus cases worldwide now stands at 126,258, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University. There have been 4,638 deaths. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the coronavirus outbreak, which has spread to at least 114 countries, a pandemic.