Is Nick Cannon desperately trying to bolster up his audience with decoys? One tabloid claims Cannon has resorted to paying people to attend his show. Let’s take a look at Cannon’s audience-for-hire scheme.
Nick Cannon Pays Cash To Fill Empty Seats?
This week’s edition of the National Enquirer reports Nick Cannon is struggling to get people to buy tickets to his new talk show. The tabloid points to an online casting notice for the show that reads, “Studio Audience / 20-50 / Woman / White, Eastern European / Non-union $60.” An insider dished to the magazine, “It’s clear the show is having a hard time filling the seats, particularly among certain demographics.”
The tipster goes on, “Every time crew members see a fresh face they beg the person to come to a taping within the next 24 hours. But the show is new — they’re still trying to generate buzz and get it off the ground.” The tabloid alleges a “mole” attended a taping where most of the audience appeared to be legitimate. But they reveal that certain members were handed cash-filled envelopes on their way out.
Despite the show’s struggle to fill seats, the outlook for Cannon’s show has been fairly positive. Some “industry insiders” even speculate it could take troubled talk show host Wendy William’s slot. “He already has a major platform and a huge fan base, so it’s an easy win.”
‘Desperate’ Nick Cannon Struggling To Fill Audience?
While we can’t speak to the existence of this casting call, we doubt there’s anything suspicious going on. First of all, it’s unclear what the tabloid is trying to say with this report. First, the magazine insists Cannon is “desperate” and isn’t popular enough to get a full audience. Then, the publication pivots, claiming Cannon is even more popular than Wendy Williams and will likely take her spot, a rumor we’ve addressed in the past.
But it wouldn’t be surprising if Cannon was struggling to fill every seat given COVID-19 concerns, vaccine restrictions, and the fact that it’s a new show. It’s not an uncommon practice to pay studio audiences to keep them from thinning out. For example, Saturday Night Live was paying its audiences $150 a pop around this time last year. And as for the fate of Wendy Williams’ show and time slot, we can’t say either way — but it’s highly unlikely this tabloid has any more information than us.
The Tabloid On Wendy Williams
But any time Williams’ name comes up in a NationalEnquirer article, we know not to take it at face value. Early this year, the tabloid claimed Wendy Williams needed “emergency psychological care.” Then the magazine alleged Williams’ friends were urging her to wear a diaper. And more recently, the publication reported Williams was “obsessed” with finding a man after her divorce. Clearly, the Enquirer can’t be trusted anywhere Wendy Williams is concerned.
