'Ellen' becomes one of the first shows to welcome back live in-studio audience
"The Ellen DeGeneres Show" plans to invite a limited number of in-studio audience members Wednesday, making it one of the few television productions to do so since the coronavirus forced widespread shutdowns in the entertainment industry.
"Ellen," like most talk shows and other TV programming that relies on live audience reactions, has filled its studio seats with virtual fans since its host returned to the studio last month. Beginning Wednesday, 40 fans will attend the "Ellen" taping in person, while 70 more will remain virtual. The studio generally holds about 300 audience members.
“ 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' will follow all health and safety protocols and COVID-19 guidelines," read a press release from the show shared Tuesday.
The announcement comes as United States health officials warn of a potential second wave of the virus with temperatures falling and holiday celebrations drawing near. The U.S. has recorded more than 8.7 million cases and more than 226,000 deaths as of Wednesday morning, while several states – though not California, where the show tapes – have set records for most cases and most deaths in a week since the pandemic began, according to a USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins data.
A handful of other productions have waded back into the live audience territory. Most notably, "Saturday Night Live" returned to its regular Studio 8H home last month, welcoming in a limited number of audience members.
"We need the audience, obviously," creator Lorne Michaels said in an interview with Vulture last month. "With comedy, when you don’t hear the response, it’s just different. With the kind of comedy we do, which quite often is broad, timing gets thrown off without an audience."
Across the pond, "The Graham Norton Show" headed back to its studio earlier this month with a reduced number of audience members. "Let's Make a Deal," which shoots in California and debuted on primetime Tuesday night, also featured a mix of in person and virtual fans.
"You may also note that we are practicing social distancing," host Wayne Brady said at the top of the episode, noting that all of the episode's contestants were essential workers. "That's why we have a small audience. They're small, but so, so mighty."
Contributing: Mike Stucka
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Ellen DeGeneres Show' to welcome back live in-studio audience
