Photo: Rosalind O'Connor/NBC
Saturday Night Live announced that it will not have a live studio audience for Saturday (December 18) night's show. In addition, the show will have a limited number of cast and crew members on set for the taping. Paul Rudd will host the show, but musical guest Charli XCX will no longer perform.
SNL made the announcement on Twitter, citing the recent spike in cases of COVID-19 due to the Omicron variant.
"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," the show wrote. "The show continues to follow all government safety guidelines in addition to a rigorous testing protocol."
According to a report from the New York Post, four actors on the show have tested positive for COVID-19. In addition, several crew members called out sick because they are "fearful" of catching the virus.
A source who works on the show told the paper that the “show must go on but don’t expect to see Colin Jost, Sarah Sherman or (Aristotle) Athari.”