Wendy Williams Shuts Out Co-Hosts for Fear of Coronavirus
Wendy Williams is the queen of shade on daytime television and The Wendy Williams Show is stronger than ever. However, in the coming days, the talk show will look a little different as Williams will host the show solo and without her co-hosts, her live studio audience. The decision was made in light of the coronavirus outbreak that continues to dominate the news cycle with new cases.
The show released a statement on Twitter announcing that they will not have a studio audience when the show is taped.
“Wendy values her co-hosts and their daily participation, but in light of the current health climate, The Wendy Williams Show will not have a live studio audience until further notice,” the statement reads.
“We will continue to produce a daily live talk show and look forward to welcoming the studio audience back when the time is right.”
It will be interesting to see how segments like “Hot Topics” and “Ask Wendy” will function without Williams’ co-hosts as they play an integral part. The TV host usually calls out her audience members after they react to a story or for the outfit they wear for the taping.
Williams usually goes into the audience to interact with them. At the end of the show, she used to shake their hands and hugged them. Since the coronavirus outbreak, Williams stopped shaking people’s hands and instead greeted them using her elbow.
Talk shows shooting without an audience
Williams’ show was the latest to ban audience members from the studio. Another show that will tape without people is Dr. Phil that shoots in Hollywood.
“The health of our audience members, staff and crew are the priority,” said show EP Carla Pennington, according to Deadline.
On Monday, Deadline also informed that game shows like Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune would also tape without audience members.
There’s no word on shows like Good Morning America, The View, and Strahan, Sara, and Keke, who also go live with a studio audience.
Coachella canceled
The big musical festival, Coachella, was postponed until October of this year. The weekend event was to take place on April 10-12 and April 17-19. The new dates are October 9-11 and October 16-18.
“At the direction of the County of Riverside and local health officials, we must sadly confirm the rescheduling of Coachella and Stagecoach due to COVID-19 concerns,” read the statement from Goldenvoice. “While this decision comes at a time of universal uncertainty, we take the safety and health of our guests, staff, and community very seriously.”
The promoter assured music goers that their tickets “for the April dates will be honored for the rescheduled October dates.” Those that wish to get a refund and unable to attend the new dates would be notified by Friday, March 13 on how to proceed in getting their money back.
Information on the COVID-19 outbreak changes quickly and the World Health Organization is a great source for the public. They advise people on how to protect themselves from the virus, the latest travel advice, and what to do in case of coming into contact with someone that might have been affected.
