Like most of the entertainment industry and America in general, late night TV is shutting down on both coasts due to coronavirus concerns, including on premium cable.

Both Real Time with Bill Maher and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver are going dark over the pandemic, though for how long isn’t exactly known.

“So, I have never seen events move faster than during this last week,” Maher told his viewers this evening in an already audience-less studio. “As I said before, or maybe I didn’t, so let me say it now,” the HBO host added. “We are off next week.”

“We had a hiatus week scheduled in about two weeks, but we said let’s do it next week since everyone is freaking out and we want to see where this goes,” Maher said sitting down with panelists Tim Miller, Lis Smith, and FT editor Edward Luce.

“I hope we will be back the week after that, it could be that you are out last panel for a while – no pressure,” the comedian threw out there.

We don’t know when Maher will be back but we do know that John Oliver will have a “shortened episode” on March 15, before going on his own COVID-19 enforced break.

How the Last Week Tonight host addresses that is to be seen on Sunday, but Maher went straight for the ever-expanding novel coronavirus on his show.

“Welcome to fucking ridiculous with Bill Maher,” said the host to over amped laughs and applause from seeming staffers in the seats. “Surreal time is what we’re renaming this show.

As you can see in the video below, the cynically inclined Maher quipped, “this country went from zero to crazy in about three seconds this week.”



Noting the lack of a packed house studio audience, Maher told the audience at home that “you may notice the sound is a little different because we are trying to be on the safe side here and people don’t want come, around me, I could be the carrier.”

“Now, are we being overly cautious?’ Maher said in a serious tone. “Yes, but appropriately so, we don’t know what this is yet. Everything is getting canceled … I’m supposed to be in Vegas tonight. Sorry, can’t be there.”

Take a swipe or wipe at Fox News, abundant hand washing, wearing masks and “don’t elect a moron President,” Maher shifted to larger issues at play in the spreading virus scenario of America today and in particular the House of Mouse.

“We don’t smart stuff in this country,” Maher declared, hitting the same notes later in the show too. “Disneyland announced today that they were closing down, tomorrow. Tomorrow. It’s open today. Cause ask any doctor, that’s how you do it when there’s an outbreak, you get everyone together for one last whiff.”

Actually Bill, Disney relented and unveiled their plan to shut down their Stateside theme parks on Thursday, but otherwise, point taken.

“That’s our show, hopefully not our season!” proclaimed Maher at the end tonight, for now.

For a list of TV shows that have been halted across broadcast, cable and streaming, click here.