SNL Nixes Live Audience With Omicron Cases Spiking

SNL and many other live shows rely on their audiences to keep the spirit of the show alive. Live reception from the audience goes a long way to make moments memorable. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic making a sudden comeback, it seems the world is starting to recoil again.

The Sexiest Man Alive Paul Rudd is all set to host the latest episode of Saturday Night Live. Charlie XCX was also set to make an appearance on the show and performing some her tunes. However, their plans stand skewed with the virus starting to spread again.

Rudd’s featurette will be a lot lonelier, according to the SNL social media handles. The officials took to making the announcement on Instagram & Twitter, that SNL’s upcoming episode will not be featuring any live audiences.

The sad news does not only end there. Charlie XCX will also not be making the stage, and the show is also said to feature limited cast and crew members, in order to follow COVID-19 safety protocols.

Due to the recent spike in the Omicron variant and out of an abundance of caution, there will be no live audience for tonight’s taping of ‘Saturday Night Live’ and the show will have limited cast and crew.

Paul Rudd might still make his appearance, as he wasn’t the subject of the announcement. However, according to reports, 4 ‘SNL’ members have the virus, and three others have called in sick. SNL management is taking caution into account. The Big Apple is suffering from a lot of new cases, so we can expect other live shows resorting to COVID-19 safety protocols.

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