Lorne Michaels: SNL writers were revising the season premiere cold open until the last minute after Trump's coronavirus diagnosis

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In an interview that airs on Sunday Today with Willie Geist, Michaels also says the return to live shows in front of a studio audience was crucial. "I think it was all I talked about all summer and leading up to it was I need an audience,” says Michaels. “Because we’re taking big swings and they’re hard jokes, when you don’t hear any sound, it throws the timing off. The thing that the audience does is it’s the plug that makes the circuit work.”