'SNL' Audience Members Paid to Attend Live Show | THR News - video Dailymotion

'Saturday Night Live' audience members were paid to attend last weekend's live show, according to a report in The New York Times on Saturday.

Transcript

00:00There are so many protocols. Everybody in this audience has been checked all week. I've had

00:06things going up my nose. When Chris Rock hosted the season premiere of Saturday Night Live last

00:11weekend, audience members were paid to attend the show. As a result of New York City guidelines

00:16around the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, TV productions are not allowed to host audiences

00:21unless they consist of employees. According to a report in the New York Times, the sketch show,

00:25which returned for its 46th season on October 3rd with musical guest Megan Thee Stallion paid its

00:30audience members as if they were crew. Audience members who were sectioned within Studio 8H into

00:34small, socially distanced groups received payment checks from Universal Television after the show.

00:40They also had to have COVID-19 tests prior to attending SNL and temperature checks upon arrival

00:44at the Rockefeller Center. Face masks were required at all times within the venue. One of the paid

00:49audience members, Sean Ludwig, documented his experience on Twitter, writing,

00:53Waiting to get into NBC SNL with Chris Rock and Thee Stallion tonight, just passed rapid COVID tests

00:58and double-masked with 25% capacity and socially distanced audience. First time ever at SNL and

01:04ready to laugh despite the madness of the world. And after the show, he tweeted,

01:08Had an incredible time at NBC SNL. Here's the kicker. We didn't know it until after,

01:13but we were paid for our time. Likely to meet New York State's requirements for only paid staff to be in

01:18the audience. The New York Times reports that Ludwig was paid a check of $150 for his attendance.

01:23The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to NBC for comment. For more on this story,

01:27head to THR.com. For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Tiffany Taylor.