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Jimmy Kimmel wrote on social media that the planned live ‘Strike Force’ podcast recording with Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert was canceled after he came down with COVID-19.
By Alex Weprin
Media & Business Writer
A handful of upcoming shows in Las Vegas have been canceled or postponed due to COVID-19.
This weekend’s planned live Strike Force podcast recording has been canceled after ABC late night host Jimmy Kimmel came down with the virus.
Kimmel announced the move on his social channels Wednesday. Kimmel was set to co-host the live taping alongside fellow late night hosts Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert.
“Well, Las Vegas, I got Covid, and sadly, we need to cancel this weekend’s Strike Force Three show,” Kimmel wrote. “I could never live with myself if I got my hometown friends sick. Thanks to all who purchased tickets, everyone will get full refunds and we will try to reschedule if possible.”
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The live taping was supposed to held Sep. 23 at Dolby Live at Park MGM.
Kimmel, Fallon, Colbert and fellow late night hosts Seth Meyers and John Oliver launched the podcast Strike Force Five last month via Spotify, with all the proceeds going to their TV staffs. Meyers and Oliver were not scheduled to participate in the live Las Vegas taping.
The hosts committed to at least 12 episodes of the podcast, with each host taking turns leading a conversation among them. Spirits giant Diageo and Ryan Reynolds’ Mint Mobile had signed on as presenting sponsors.
The podcast served as both a creative outlet for the hosts and a source of revenue to help cover the costs of their crews, who have been out of work since May, when the Writers Guild of America went on strike. During the last writers strike in 2007, the late night shows would return to the air after David Letterman cut a side deal with the guild. His competitors returned to air without any writing staff.
The lack of late night shows has also proven to be a challenge for both film studios and authors, who have found themselves without one of their most reliable outlets to promote new projects, though the SAG-AFTRA strike also put most actors on the sidelines when it comes to promoting their work.
Later Wednesday, Steve Martin took to social media to announce that his and Martin Short’s You Won’t Believe What They Look Like Today! show, which was scheduled for Friday and Saturday, has been postponed due to COVID-19.
“Dear fans and enemies, Unfortunately, our sold-out shows at the Wynn in Las Vegas this Friday and Saturday has to be postponed because of rampant Covid in our crew and one other essential guy,” he wrote. “We are sorry for any inconvenience, but we are moving to mid-December, where your tickets will be honored with an added “date-moving tax,” of nine thousand dollars.”
Carly Thomas contributed to this report.
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