‘SNL' Drops Live Audience and Musical Guest Charli XCX Due to COVID Spike It's been confirmed that there won’t be a musical guest.
Tina Fey will be substituting for Colin Jost on Weekend Update: Tina Fey to sub for Colin Jost amid 'SNL' COVID-19 outbreak
People who are not in New York City are just realizing what is happening in NYC, with news like this. NYC is having a very large rise in covid cases because of this new variant, which spreads very fast. If you look at charts for New York City in the past two to three weeks, it's a huge and steep climb up in numbers: reminds you how exponential this thing can spread. Positivity rates in New York City doubled over three days this week, and Friday was the highest number of positive covid tests in New York State since the early days of the pandemic. The Rockettes had some positive covid cases this week, and Radio City Music Hall has cancelled the rest of the season for performances of the Rockettes. Some Broadway shows have also cancelled performances, and some music venues are shutting down for a bit. With all that happening, it's not surprising when a group working in person, like SNL, gets hit with an outbreak. It's been this story all around the city this week. New York City is getting around 90% in adults who are vaccinated, so very good vaccine rate here. Although not everyone's gotten their booster, and this week you started seeing lines of people trying to get their booster or covid tests. The vaccine does not make you 100% bullet proof to the virus, but it reduces by 8X the chances that you get covid, and if you do get it, it reduces the viral load, so you are much less likely to get very sick, and much less likely to pass the virus to others. This new variant is obviously breaking its way through the vaccine much more than prior versions of the virus. While hospitalization rates have gone up in NYC in recent weeks, it's not looking as bad (for now) in terms of deaths. This variant will likely spread to other places outside NYC. I would recommend people try to get their booster now, rather than wait for the wave to hit their state (when many people will all realize they should get their booster).
They should have just pulled the plug completely , this is terrible. Talk about a complete over reaction.
It was not ideal but I liked the Weekend Update this week. It had funny jokes and gave of a more 'real' and intimate feel to the show. Props for the whole crew for still putting on a show despite the obvious constraints.
Pretty anemic episode all in all, but I did get several chuckles out of the randomness of this bit. Paul Rudd is a low-key gifted comedic actor, and it’s really a shame he didn’t get a proper episode here because of the bug.
After however many seasons this iteration of WU has been around, I've never warmed up to either Jost or Che so I'm ready for another change-up. Maybe give one of the newer cast members a shot?
Well said. Some Broadway shows are cancelling out individual performances because cast members are testing positive, and Broadway has very strict policies for performers and audiences. Went to a show on Wednesday and proof of vax and masking rules were very strictly enforced.
I enjoy seeing what true professionals can do when they find themselves "Behind the 8 ball." It's an "Oh sh!t" moment and they did what they could to pull it together. Much respect for that.
I think it perfectly telegraphed to every SNL fan how serious, expensive and deadly this pandemic is. This episode will most likely be aired again and again in future Christmas episodes to remind us all of the history of how we handled this disaster that's killed more people than some wars where at least some sacrificed in doing their part like we all should and stop politicizing death.
And hopefully when this Christmas episode airs 20 years later in an SNL retrospect with no pandemic, that newer generation won't see our generation as selfish A-holes.
Selfish is not the best word; foolish, hysterical, naive, arrogant, hypocritical, ignorant, narcissistic, tragic - those seem to fit better.
A little Stefon humor in tough times. There are definitely lines out the door now in NYC for booster shots and covid tests, because of the spike in covid cases, and because people are planning to see family for the holidays.
I have totally given up on SNL, just has become utterly pointless with rarely a laugh but at 60 I assume I’m not the demographic they are trying to reach or they would have been off the air 3-4 years ago. Love the casts going back a ways but they can only do so much with uninspired scripts. But Christmas Socks sure shows their trying. Just all around weird in a great way!