Colbert's Show to Take a Big Step Next Month

CBS said Monday that Stephen Colbert's late-night show will return to doing live episodes on June 14, with a vaccinated audience in New York's Ed Sullivan Theater. The Late Show, late night's top-rated entertainment program, produced 205 episodes without a live audience for more than a year because of the COVID-19 outbreak, per the AP. Audience members will be required to show proof of vaccination before being allowed in Colbert's audience, CBS said. Face masks will be optional. Meanwhile, staff and crew members will be tested prior to coming back to work and monitored regularly for signs of symptoms.

Colbert did his first show remotely on March 16, 2020, with a monologue taped from his bathtub at home. The show has been done from the offices at his home theater lately. "Over the last 437 days, my staff and crew (and family!) have amazed me with their professionalism and creativity as we made shows for an audience we couldn't see or hear," Colbert said in a statement, per Deadline. "I look forward to once again doing shows for an audience I can smell and touch." Competitors Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon have already returned to their own studios, with a limited number of audience members.

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