Saturday Night Livewas one of the first shows to go back to a live audience after the pandemic started in early 2020 and so far 47th season of this long-running sketch comedy show has felt pretty normal, with a full audience filling the room with laughter. However, the Christmas episode just got a bit less jolly as, after a week whereBillie Eilishbrought down the house in front of a crowded Studio 8H,SNLhas announced that there will be no live audience for tonight’s episode and musical guestCharli XCXwill no longer be performing. Despite the Omicron variant causing concerns,Paul Ruddis still set to host, which will mark his induction into the Five-Timers Club.
While this is very disappointing to hear for fans of the show given that this was the last episode beforeSNLwent on their holiday break, it is always better to be safe than sorry. The entertainment industry has been hit especially hard ever since the pandemic began with New York City being at the center of it and the city, along with the rest of the world, are going through déjà vu all over again. Broadway shows are being canceled again due to the rise of cases and the winter season is not helping much in that department. Shows likeMrs. Doubtfire,Moulin Rouge!,The Rockettes’ Christmas Spectacular, andHarry Potter and the Cursed Childhave all been affected by this recent surge withThe Rockettesshutting down the rest of their shows which usually run until the middle of January.
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SNLhas also said that there will be a limited cast and crew on hand for tonight’s show. It will be interesting to see who will be in the episode from their expansive cast and how the production will dance around having no crowd to add to the atmosphere. This is only being done out of precaution and hopefully, the show as well as the rest of the world can get back to the new normal in 2022.
SNL’s final episode of 2021 is ending in typical pandemic fashion and you can watch it all play out tonight on NBC at 11:30 PM EST. You can read SNL’s full statement and the message Charli XCX shared to Instagram:
