TV and film production looks a lot different during the pandemic era, and Saturday Night Live is now a prime example of that.
This past weekend, the show made its studio return with a live audience and, apparently, the people who showed up to watch the show were compensated for it.
For the first time in its history, SNL is paying audience members to attend, thanks to the new post-pandemic guidelines for filming in the state of New York. With these new rules, shows have to pay audience members just like any other employee.
One attendee, who got to see Megan Thee Stallion's powerful performance IRL, confirmed that they received $150 to attend. “We had no idea we would be paid before we were handed checks,” Sean Ludwig told the New York Times. “We were all very pleasantly surprised.”
Anyone who wants to get paid to attend Saturday Night Live has to go through a screening process beforehand, which includes rapid testing and filling out a form asserting they have no COVID-19 symptoms and haven't been exposed to anyone who's tested positive for it.
If you want to get paid to attend Saturday Night Live, keep an eye out here for future openings. Coming up soon: Guest host Bill Burr and musical guest Morgan Wallen on Oct. 10, and guest host Issa Rae and musical guest Justin Bieber on Oct. 17.
