Fans will have to live without Ellen DeGeneres trolling (and scaring) celebrities — at least, for the time being. The Ellen DeGeneres Show has suspended production, according Deadline, over growing concern over the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The move was confirmed by DeGeneres in a tweet on Friday.
“Hey there. Me again. So, after some more thought, we have decided to suspend production completely until March 30th,” DeGeneres wrote. “We just want to take every precaution to ensure that we do our part to keep everyone healthy. I love you guys, and can’t wait to come back. I’m already bored.”
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DeGeneres' executive producer Andy Lassner responded with "good call, boss" on the tweet.
Kalen Allen, host of OMKallen on EllenTube added a video message to the thread, suggesting that he may not know what to do with himself while he's away from work:
Me for the rest of the month... pic.twitter.com/vQCfznfZI7
— Kalen Allen (@TheKalenAllen) March 13, 2020
This marks just another high-profile TV show that has paused production following the national emergency of the coronavirus, officially a global pandemic. The Bachelorette, set to begin filming this week, recently announced that it has put its new season, starring Clare Crawley, on pause, along with all other Warner Bros. television shows.
DeGeneres’ talk show previously shared that it would continue filming, albeit without its studio audience. Shows like Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune, The View, Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and more have gone that route as well in order to comply with guidelines encouraging for limits on large group gatherings.
DeGeneres’ show has aired on weekdays since 2003. On Friday, Sean Hayes of Will & Grace filled in for DeGeneres, joking that she was at Costco “hoarding toilet paper.” Hannah Ann Sluss of The Bachelor was his guest.
For those who were looking forward to watching The Ellen DeGeneres Show while in self-isolation over coronavirus concerns, there are still plenty of clips available to watch online. May we suggest starting with that awkward Dakota Johnson moment?
COVID-19 has been declared a global pandemic. Go to the Public Health Agency of Canada website for the latest information on symptoms, prevention, and other resources.