The Netflix Is a Joke Fest was initially set to run April 27-May 3 in Los Angeles and occupy around 20 venues.
Following the lead of organizations behind numerous other major upcoming events, Netflix is postponing its inaugural stand-up comedy festival amid the coronavirus public health crisis.
Netflix Is a Joke Fest was initially set to run April 27-May 3 in Los Angeles and occupy around 20 venues, including The Laugh Factory, the Hollywood Bowl, the Greek Theatre and Largo. It has now been postponed until an undisclosed date. The lineup for the festival featured names such as Ken Jeong; Iliza Shlesinger; David Letterman; Jamie Foxx; Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin; Kevin Hart; and Martin Lawrence.
"Based on the latest CDC guidelines we’ve decided to postpone our Netflix Is A Joke Fest, which was scheduled to begin April 27. We’ve been blown away by the excitement from fans and we will work to reschedule it when we can. In the meantime please everyone take care, hold onto your tickets and we look forward to seeing you all soon. More information for ticket holders will be available on NetflixIsAJokeFest.com in the weeks ahead," the streamer shared Tuesday in a statement.
Showcasing the array of talent already signed to specials on the platform, Netflix Is a Joke was also slated to feature galas hosted by Foxx, Schumer, Lawrence and Fonda and Tomlin to showcase international talent; an LGBTQ showcase including Alan Carr, Hannah Gadsby, Margaret Cho, Rosie O'Donnell, Sandra Bernhard and Wanda Sykes; and performances by Sarah Silverman, Whoopi Goldberg, Billy Crystal and Chris Rock.
The coronavirus, which has infected 5,894 and killed 97 people nationwide since its began its spread in the U.S., has shuttered and postponed numerous events in the past few weeks. SXSW, TV upfront events, CinemaCon and Quibi's April launch event are among those canceled by the virus' spread, while Coachella, the Met Gala and the Hot Docs festival, among others, have all been postponed.
On Monday, President Donald Trump issued a number of new health recommendations, including that individuals avoid gatherings of over 10 people, non-essential travel and restaurants and bars.
