The move to cancel new episodes was a reversal from Wednesday, when all the late-night shows that are based in New York — also including Trevor Noah’s on Comedy Central, Samantha Bee’s show on TBS and John Oliver’s on HBO — said they would broadcast without studio audiences.

The move to cancel next week’s scheduled episodes could raise pressure on other talk shows to follow suit. With more and more Americans being directed to stay home, television, particularly daily talk shows, could become a key source of entertainment and comfort during the pandemic. On the other hand, producers and executives need to balance that imperative with the well-being of their staffs.

“God forbid you stay on the air too long and someone in the building gets hurt by this,” Rob Burnett, an executive producer of David Letterman’s former late-night show, said in an interview on Thursday. “That transcends anything you might be doing on television. It’s a very challenging situation.”

“The Tonight Show” taped a new episode on Thursday, including Dr. Mehmet Oz and Mandy Moore as guests, without a studio audience. “Late Night” did not tape a new episode; a repeat was to be shown Thursday night.