By Canadian Press

Virus prompts late shows to drop audiences, ‘Survivor’ delay

Mar 11, 2020 | 4:04 PM

LOS ANGELES — The ripple effect of the new coronavirus on the entertainment industry reached late-night television and far beyond to the series “Survivor” in Fiji.

“The Tonight Show” and other late-night talk shows in New York announced Wednesday they will tape without audiences, while CBS said that production on the next season of “Survivor” was being postponed.

In a statement Wednesday, NBC said it was suspending live audiences for Jimmy Fallon’s “Tonight Show” and “Late Night with Seth Meyers” starting Monday, citing the safety of guest and employees as the “top priority.”

CBS announced that “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” also will tape without an in-studio audience, as did Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” and HBO’s “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.”

“For the past several weeks, ‘The Late Show’ producers have consulted daily to share information with other New York-based late night shows, who will also be moving forward without an audience,” CBS said in a statement.

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The shows’ broadcasts will be unaffected.

Also Wednesday, CBS said production on the 41st edition of “Survivor” has been postponed in response to the spread of the coronavirus. Filming was scheduled to begin later this month in Fiji, but CBS now says production will start on May 19.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.

The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.

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AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy in New York contributed to this report.

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The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is

Lynn Elber, The Associated Press