The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was meant to be going audience free starting next week, in response to the spread of coronavirus. But in the end, everything happened earlier than expected.
"Welcome to The Late Show, I'm your host Stephen Colbert," says the man himself in the video above. "As you may have noticed, none of you are here right now. Only people in the audience right now are some members of my staff. Hi guys!"
Colbert then heads over to his desk and breaks down exactly what's happened.
"Let me explain what's going on. All of the New York City late night shows were planning to go without audiences starting on Monday — we announced that last night, actually. And that changed, because just a few hours ago we got some surprising news: we would be going without an audience starting tonight. This is absolutely true: we're just kind of winging it, this is a rehearsal right now."
It may only be a rehearsal — and it may be a little odd when Colbert's gags are only met with a smattering of applause and laughter — but it's a testament to just how darn good the host is. Even when winging it while sipping whisky between jokes, he's still on top form.
Topics Stephen Colbert COVID-19
