The resurgent pandemic continues to take its toll on the performing arts in New York and to disrupt the late-night comedy programs produced here. On Tuesday, Seth Meyers, the host of NBC’s “Late Night,” said that he had tested positive for the coronavirus and that tapings of his program would be canceled through the end of the week.
In a tweet posted on Tuesday morning, Meyers wrote: “The bad news is, I tested positive for COVID (thanks, 2022!) the good news is, I feel fine (thanks vaccines and booster!)” He added that “Late Night” would most likely return in a remote format next week, asking viewers to “tune in next Monday to see what cool location we will try and pass off as a studio!!!”
Meyers, the “Saturday Night Live” alumnus, had just returned to “Late Night” on Monday after a holiday break, in a broadcast that featured a live studio audience and guests (including cast members from the NBC drama “This Is Us” and the musician David Byrne) who appeared in remote interviews.
“Late Night” is one of several NBC programs produced at the network’s flagship New York headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, along with “S.N.L.” and “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”
The on-air talent at “Late Night” was being tested daily, and Meyers tested negative on Monday, according to someone familiar with operations at the show who was granted anonymity because that person was not authorized to speak publicly. NBC declined to comment beyond Meyers’s post on Twitter.
Fallon, the “Tonight Show” host, said that he had tested positive for the coronavirus over the holidays and that he experienced “mild symptoms” while his program was on a scheduled break. He returned to host “The Tonight Show” on Monday.
The final “S.N.L.” broadcast of 2021, which was shown on Dec. 18, was also significantly disrupted by the surging pandemic. It aired without a live audience or a musical guest, and with most of its regular cast members absent.
