Fans React to 'Really Embarrassing' Change Announced for Upcoming Season of 'Late Night'
A major change is brewing over at Late Night.
Earlier this week, Vulture broke the news that when the late-night talk show hosted by Seth Meyers returns for its 12th season in the fall, things are going to be looking—and sounding—a little different, and viewers aren't too pleased with the decision.
According to the publication, budget cuts at NBC have led the network to nix the show's in-house 8G Band, who, throughout the previous 11 seasons, have written and performed new accompaniments night after night, and fans have called the unexpected update "really embarrassing" for the show.
"A late night show without a band is… really embarrassing," one reply under the publication's announcement on X read, in part, and many were in agreement that the band was an integral part of the series.
"A late night show without a band is so incredibly unsettling to me," another said.
"This is a horrible cut," someone else agreed. "Not only is the band great, but having been to a live taping even better in person, it's also taking away such a great staple of the late-night structure."
Meanwhile, former intern Eric Francisco shared that his favorite memory from his time working on the show was watching the band perform for the audience before the show began, emphasizing that the decision "is zapping life out the room."
My favorite memories as a Late Night intern was watching the band play “Dancing With Myself” just for the audience before rolling cameras. They’d go from the song right to the theme. They’re killer musicians who got the energy up every time. This is zapping life out the room. https://t.co/GfDZU6qd7m
— Eric Francisco (@EricFrancisco24) June 12, 2024
While the 8G Band may not be playing live anymore, associate musical director and keyboardist Eli Janney told Vulture that they have been retained to "record a whole bunch of [songs] and then update it periodically to keep things fresh," so while audience members will no longer get to see the magic happen in real-time, the band will still have some involvement with the show.
It remains to be seen if that decision will assuage fans' disappointment.