Late-night comics adjust to shows without an audience Late-night comics got experience Thursday night doing shows with virtually no audience, except for paid staffersNEW YORK -- Due to the new coronavirus, late-night comedians — Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Pete Buttigieg — are taking to the stage without the affirmation of adoring audiences. Each of the three shows decided only hours before taping on Thursday to go without an audience, save for handfuls of staff members. Buttigieg, a Democrat who sought the presidency, had the chief job qualification of a late-night host, circa 2020. Colbert noted when a punchline got a response from his meager audience that he was paying most of them. Going without an audience “might be a good thing,” said Colbert, who was out-of-breath after a brief run through the empty seats.

Source: ABC News March 13, 2020 15:10 UTC