Due to the situation the world is in with this still-unfolding crisis, millions of people are left out of work, others risk their health to show up for work and some are lucky to do their work from home. Late-night hosts also experience many adjustments when it comes to their line of work – with late-night TV being a pop-culture staple for over half a century now.
Following a short hiatus pre-scheduled for some and due to the pandemic for others (especially Andy Cohen, who was recovering from COVID-19), most of the usual late-night shows returned to their respective networks with new episodes at the end of March. Weeks prior to the comeback of The Late Late Show With James Corden on April 13, Corden hosted Homefest from his hastily assembled studio out in the garage.
Presently, we have monologues delivered without audience laughter to get us in the mood at once, audio that doesn’t always synch with the lips moving onscreen; homemade signs; and spouses and kids in place of makeup artists.
The respective hosts’ personalities still shine through, most comfortingly, and Fallon, with his kids in the background next to the indoor side playing video games, Colbert with his cocktails across the bookshelf; and Cohen with his clubhouse-for-one are as animate of their regular show personas offshoot as you want.
- Advertisement -In the woods outside her home in upstate New York together with husband/cameraman Jason Jones and their three kids, Samantha Bee still bothers to look polished from head to toe while recording Full Frontal. Meanwhile, Trevor Noah takes advantage of his apartment’s sweatshirt dress code while he video-chats with in-demand guests Dr. Anthony Fauci and California Gov. Gavin Newsom on The Daily Social Distancing Show.
Phoning it in has never taken so much work even when they’re dressing down. Daily Show executive producer Jen Flanz told The Hollywood Reporter that they have to do everything much earlier in the day because since everyone is home, the post-process takes much longer.
What everyone sees night after night is a group of dedicated people doing their best to put on a show, setting their own anxieties aside for a few hours so that they can assuage the viewers’.
However, as it turned out, Lady Gaga’s news was worth the wait. On April 6, during a WHO press conference, she announced that together with Global Citizen, they had helped raise $35 million in a week for COVID-19 relief efforts.
- Advertisement -Fallon, Kimmel and Colbert are joining forces virtually tonight to host the Gaga-curated One World: Together at Home benefit concert featuring appearances by Idris Elba, David Beckham, Paul McCartney, Alanis Morissette, Andrea Bocelli, Kerry Washington, Burna Boy, Billie Joe Armstrong, Billie Eilish, Chris Martin, J Balvin, John Legend, Eddie Vedder, Elton John, Kacey Musgraves and Keith Urban.
Separate, but together in spirit.