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Wendy Williams SHUTS DOWN! Joy Behar Off The View! How The Coronavirus Is Affecting All Your Favorite Shows!

Wendy Williams Show Off Joy Behar The View Coronavirus

UPDATED, Sunday, March 15, 8:50 a.m. PT — It’s not just TV shows that are shutting down right now, either! Ben Affleck‘s new movie, which had been scheduled to start filming in Los Angeles at the end of April, has already been shut down… for now.

The movie — which purportedly has a budget between $60 and $80 million — sees Ben playing a detective investigating a string of high-end heists before uncovering a secret government program. A rep for the movie’s crew told TMZ, “We will be taking a temporary hiatus to take necessary precautions to ensure the health of our cast and crew.”

Well then!

__________

We have to be honest, Wendy Williams kind of needed a break anyway…

The daytime diva is the latest to halt production on her show in the wake of the highly infectious COVID-19 pandemic.

While The Wendy Williams Show had initially made the same move as most talk shows — getting rid of her studio audience. However, unlike other hosts, who rely on the laughter to punctuate monologues, Wendy has much more of a dialogue with her fans. Naturally many viewers wondered if the show could even function without its audience.

Related: Wendy’s Non-Stop Controversies In 2020

Well, we might have the answer now. Wendy is officially shutting down and will air reruns next week. Show staff were informed by an email, obtained by The Blast, which read:

“To Our Dedicated Wendy Show Staff: The safety and well-being of our employees is our top priority. Considering the current escalation of the Coronavirus, production will be put on hold, indefinitely. However, the office will remain open for you to pick up any materials or personal items. In place of live shows, we will air repeats and we will continue to monitor the situation with the CDC and city officials to determine the best time to return and produce live shows again. Thank you for everything you do and please stay safe!”

Obviously this is about coronavirus safety first and foremost, but we do wonder if everyone behind the scenes agreed the test of a no-audience Wendy was a failure.

Related: Wendy Just Reignited Her Feud With Nicki Minaj

Perhaps it’s because a conversation can continue between multiple women, whether there’s an audience or not, but The View is thus far staying on despite an empty studio.

However, they will have to carry on without Joy Behar, who announced on Friday she would be staying home next week. In her surprise reveal to her co-hosts Joy explained she is older than she looks (she’s 77 years old — yes, she looks fantastic), putting her in the range where the virus is much more likely to be deadly. According to current numbers, for those 70-79, the fatality rate jumps to nearly 10%.

When Joy asked if her co-hosts would miss her, Whoopi Goldberg, in her whoopiest way, shrugged and simply said, “Probably,” to which Joy laughed aloud.

Watch the very real moment (below):

So what other shows are affected?

In late night, the following shows have chosen to continue with no studio audience:

  • The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
  • The Daily Show With Trevor Noah
  • Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
  • Full Frontal With Samantha Bee

However, a few have decided to take a hiatus and air reruns like Wendy:

  • The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
  • Late Night With Seth Meyers
  • Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen

Scripted shows are not immune either. All of these shows have suspended production due to safety concerns:

  • Riverdale
  • The Flash
  • Grace and Frankie
  • Grey’s Anatomy
  • The Morning Show
  • The Good Fight
  • NCIS
  • Dynasty

On the reality TV front, all these shows have halted production:

  • The Bachelorette
  • The Amazing Race
  • Survivor
  • The Price Is Right
  • Card Sharks

We’ll keep you up to date on any more shows shutting down as this health scare continues to reverberate through Hollywood.

[Image via The Wendy Williams Show/The View/YouTube.]

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Mar 13, 2020 13:40pm PDT