Late Night with Seth Meyers to lose house band in budget cut

Comedian Seth Meyers will drop his house band from his NBC Late Night show for the 12th season of the programme.

Associate musical director of the show, Eli Janney, confirmed the decision, which is believed to be a money-saving measure.

The forthcoming season of Late Night With Seth Meyers will be the first time in the show’s history when it will not be accompanied by The 8G Band.

Speaking to Variety, Janney said Meyers and the Late Night showrunner Mike Shoemaker had informed the band of the cut over a month ago. Crew members who work with the musicians have also been axed from the show’s workforce.

“Sadly, it’s the reality of broadcast and a shrinking market – streaming eating into this, and YouTube eating into that,” Janney said.

“Streaming is not making money, either. So budgets everywhere have been cut and cut and cut. I liken it to a Spotify moment in music, where suddenly it’s like, nobody wants to pay for music. Music gets devalued.”

Last month, NBC confirmed they had renewed Late Night with Seth Meyers up to the end of 2028. According to Janney, The 8G Band will still make music for the show, but will not perform their pieces live.

Meyers’ Late Night show is known for its cutting remarks about American politicians. Last month, the comedian mocked Trump’s recent rally in New Jersey and questioned the presidential candidates’ remarks praising Silence of the Lambs protagonist Hannibal Lecter.

“Silence of the Lambs! Has anyone ever seen Silence of the Lambs?” Trump asked the Make America Great Again faithful congregating on the Jersey Shore. “The late, great Hannibal Lecter. He’s a wonderful man. He oftentimes would have a friend for dinner. Remember the last scene? ‘Excuse me, I’m about to have a friend for dinner,’ as this poor doctor walks by.

“‘I’m about to have a friend for dinner.’ But Hannibal Lecter. Congratulations, the late, great Hannibal Lecter…”

It was just one of many bizarre non-sequiturs Mr Trump launched into, also regaling the crowd at length about the hotdog he had just enjoyed on the boardwalk, likening his legal plight to the notorious Prohibition-era gangster Al Capone (nicknamed “Scarface”) and bragging the size of the audience that had gathered to hear him speak dwarfed anything that local legend Bruce Springsteen could attract.

Meyers questioned in response:  “The whole time I was watching that, I was thinking, ‘Is that a f***ing bit we did?’

“So if you’re keeping track – though why would you? – Springsteen and the district attorney are bad, but Scarface, Hannibal Lecter and hotdogs are good.”

He continued: “Seriously, who the hell goes to New Jersey to attack Burce Springsteen? What’s next on your cross-country insult tour? Are you going to go to Boston and attack Ben Affleck while you drink Starbucks in a Yankees hat?”