NEW YORK — Folks’s Sexiest Man Alive of 2021 is ready to be inducted into the vaunted 5-Timers Membership on “Saturday Night time Reside,” however the surging omicron variant of the coronavirus means there gained’t be a dwell viewers to see it occur.
The long-running sketch comedy present announced on social media Saturday afternoon that the evening’s episode would tape with out a dwell viewers and with solely restricted solid and crew “because of the current spike within the Omicron variant and out of an abundance of warning.”
Because of the current spike within the Omicron variant and out of an abundance of warning, there will probably be no dwell viewers for tonight’s taping of “Saturday Night time Reside” and the present can have restricted solid and crew.
— Saturday Night time Reside – SNL (@nbcsnl) December 18, 2021
“Ant-Man” star Paul Rudd is the host, returning to Studio 8H for the fifth time — sometimes a milestone of a lot fanfare. British pop star Charli XCX is the evening’s musical visitor. The Dec. 18 episode was the NBC present’s final introduced episode for the 12 months.
It’s unclear which solid members will seem on Saturday’s present, which often tapes a gown rehearsal at 8 p.m., adopted by the dwell present at 11:30 p.m.
The present returned for its forty seventh 12 months in September with 16 solid members and 5 featured gamers, a very crowded area. The dimensions of the solid has allowed for atypical flexibility for its high-profile members, who can now take break day for different tasks throughout the season.
The present stated on social media that those that had gained tickets to the evening’s present would obtain extra data quickly.
That is removed from the primary time the Lorne Michaels-produced present has needed to adapt to the coronavirus pandemic. The virus outbreak halted its forty fifth season for a couple of month, however “SNL” was again on the air by mid-April with a “quarantine model” of the present hosted by Tom Hanks. The present returned to 30 Rockefeller Heart for its forty sixth season after implementing COVID-19 protocols, however booted singer Morgan Wallen from that season’s second episode for breaking guidelines. And simply final month, British singer Ed Sheeran needed to carry out from house after contracting the coronavirus.
New York state reported Saturday that just about 22,000 folks had examined optimistic for COVID-19 on Friday — eclipsing yesterday’s mark for the very best single-day whole for brand spanking new circumstances since testing turned extensively accessible. Greater than half the optimistic outcomes have been within the metropolis. Omicron is predicted to turn into the dominant coronavirus variant in lots of international locations inside weeks.
Different dwell reveals in New York have been devastated anew by the current coronavirus surge, with many Broadway levels pressured to go darkish due to outbreaks. Mayor Invoice de Blasio this previous week declared omicron “in full drive” in New York, snuffing out vacation mainstays just like the Rockettes Christmas present and threatening others but — all portending one other vacation season with out a lot cheer.