Viral

"America's Got Talent" is feeling the effects of the coronavirus pandemic ... the reality series is putting the kibosh on live audiences.

Sources confirm to TMZ ... 'AGT' will tape episodes without fans in the seats for the foreseeable future, due to fears over the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

The decision comes on the heels of Heidi Klum falling ill on set and Howie Mandel showing up to work in a full hazmat suit.

As we first reported, Heidi felt physically ill before shooting 'AGT' in Pasadena on Tuesday, and she left the taping. When Heidi left, sources said the judges told the audience she had a case of suspected food poisoning, and Sofia Vergara cracked a joke about it.

Eric Stonestreet filled in for Heidi as a judge during Wednesday's taping.

Folks on social media are posting emails from 'AGT' about taping cancellations. The notices say, "Out of an abundance of caution, America's Got Talent is suspending all tapings with a studio audience until further notice."

As we first reported ... "Jeopardy!" and "Wheel of Fortune" scrapped live audiences over coronavirus fears, and "The Price Is Right" is going dark altogether for two weeks in the hopes the virus subsides by then.

Starbucks -- a place millions of Americans rely on for free wireless as much as coffee -- is now considering shutting down in-store operations due to the coronavirus.

Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson penned a letter to customers outlining how it plans to combat the spread of the coronavirus -- and says they "may adapt the store experience by limiting seating to improve social distancing, enable mobile order-only scenarios for pickup via the Starbucks App or delivery via Uber Eats, or in some cases only the Drive Thru will be open."

The coffee giant says that as a last resort it could shut down the store all together "if we feel it is in the best interest of our customers and partners."

These are precautionary steps in addition to increased cleaning and sanitizing procedures for its thousands of stores. For the record, Starbucks says it's currently maintaining regular operations across the U.S. and Canada, and will modify operations on a community-by-community and store-by-store basis.

Starbucks choosing to take extreme measures is not surprising ... considering the NBA, MLS, NHL, MLB and a slew of other corporations have shut down regular operations during the health crisis.

As we told you ... America's biggest buffet restaurant chains are staying open, for now, but rolling out new hygiene measures.

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson -- who were filming an Elvis Presley movie down in Australia -- have just tested positive for the coronavirus ... TMZ has confirmed.

Tom's reps tell us he and Rita got tested for the deadly virus after feeling like they had a cold -- he says they felt extra tired and had some body aches -- and the results came back positive.

According to Tom, Rita also had some chills that came and went, as well as slight fevers.

Now, Tom says he will follow protocols put in place by medical officials and the rest of his family will also be tested for the virus. Tom says he will be observed and isolated for as long as required for public health and safety.

Tom and Rita are the first A-listers to test positive for coronavirus ... while international soccer star Daniele Rugani has also tested positive.

Joel Osteen's megachurch services will power through the coronavirus crisis -- which has officially been classified a pandemic -- meaning close to 50,000 people will gather to worship with him this weekend.

Sources close to Osteen and his Lakewood Church in Houston tell TMZ ... its 3 scheduled upcoming services -- one Saturday night and 2 Sunday -- are still on, with expected crowds of 16,000 at each service.

We're told the staff is taking recommended precautions, such as sanitizing surfaces and bathrooms and leaving doors propped open so guests don't have to touch them.

On top of that, our sources say church members and all potential attendees are being advised to stay home if they don't feel well, have traveled to areas affected by COVID-19 or been in contact with anyone who has.

We're told Lakewood's plans could change with the developing news, but as of right now ... it's church business as usual for Osteen and his congregation.

Joel's also set to hold a service in Jackson, Mississippi Friday for roughly 7,500.

As for Osteen's "America's Night of Hope" event at Yankee Stadium in May -- which, as we first reported, will feature Kanye West -- there are no plans to cancel or postpone that either.

However, our sources reiterate ... things could change with those plans too.

Buffet-goers in Vegas are outta luck because of coronavirus, but family-style feasters everywhere else in the good ol' U.S. of A. can still get their fix ... for now anyway.

Four of the biggest buffet restaurant chains in the country tell TMZ they have no plans to close up shop amid what is now a global pandemic -- but they're not blind to the concerns about COVID-19. Meaning, they're taking new precautions.

For instance, Golden Corral says it's installed multiple new hand sanitizer stations in most, if not all, of its 500 locations -- and workers are now on a different kinda clock.

A rep tells us GC employees have been instructed to wash their hands a minimum of every 20 minutes, or between tasks. They're also wiping down all guest touchpoint areas every half hour.

The ever-familiar HomeTown, Old Country and Ryan's buffet chains are also following that spic-and-span approach. A rep for Ovation Brands -- which owns and operates all 3 -- says they're going hog wild on the cleaning and sanitizing as well.

Interestingly, Ovation says the reason it's not panicking just yet is because most of their customers are homegrown in the U.S., and not from overseas. That theory seems flawed, though, since there's no telling where those customers have traveled recently.

We're told if things change over the next few weeks -- and it seems obvious they will -- Ovation says it'll reevaluate.

As coronavirus fears skyrocket and the stock market plummets ... Soulja Boy's making a whole lot of money off a pretty clean gamble.

Sources close to the rapper-turned-entrepreneur tell TMZ ... he's invested in a company called The Soap Shop -- which, of course, sells soap products and the like. We're told Soulja went in on a franchise location in Mississippi last year with his manager, CEO Miami Mike.

Our sources say Soulja's trying to diversify and heard it was a good investment opportunity. What he didn't know is how well-timed it was.

As you know, the COVID-19 pandemic has people frantically looking for soaps, disinfectant products and anything that'll kill germs. That all adds up to a massive profit for Soulja and co.

Our sources say TSS as a corporation has gone from selling 100 bottles of cleaning products per month to well over 3,000-plus cleaning products in the last 2 months. That's about a 3,000 percent increase, and we're told it's record-setting production.

Soulja and Mike's specific Soap Shop location -- in South Haven, MS -- is seeing similar results. Our sources say profits have tripled without changing anything.

One last thing, the soap venture actually benefits the youth. Soulja has linked his Soap Shop location to a charity called Bubbles for Cash.

Steve-O's well aware of all the cancellations due to the coronavirus pandemic, but instead of freaking out ... he's cashing in on an uncrowded market and booking shows.

The "Jackass" star was at Gladstones Restaurant near Malibu, and told us because the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, TX was called off ... a lot of venues suddenly had open dates to fill.

So, Steve-O says his agent asked if he wanted to perform at The Paramount Theatre -- the site of his very first comedy special, and he couldn't turn it down.

Steve-O tells us he's done his due diligence to make sure he wasn't making a poor decision. That meant a call to his good buddy, Dr. Drew.

We broke the story ... Dr. Drew still believes the panic over COVID-19 is overblown and people just need to take precautions and be reasonable.

Sounds like he told Steve-O the same, and gave him his stamp of approval to head deep into the heart of Texas next week.

Steve-O tells us he plans to do meet and greets with anyone who comes to his show, but he's using common sense -- elbow bumps and side hugs only.

"Riverdale" is shutting down because someone on the production has a very real concern about coronavirus exposure.

A rep for Warner Bros., which produces the CW show, tells TMZ ... it recently was made aware that a team member from the show recently came in contact with a person -- not on the production -- who tested positive for the coronavirus.

We're told that team member is receiving medical evaluation and out of an abundance of caution, production is currently being suspended. The rep adds, "We are working closely with the appropriate authorities and health agencies in Vancouver (where they shoot) to identify and contact all individuals who may have come into direct contact with our team member."

The news comes shortly after a slew of organizations took extraordinary caution to stem the rapidly-spreading disease. As we reported, the NCAA announced it will ban fans from the tournament.

Dr. Phil says folks who constantly fear getting sick are probably more at risk to contract coronavirus than the average Joe ... but not because of the virus itself.

The good doc came on "TMZ Live" Wednesday to talk about what's now a global pandemic and its effect on hypochondria. First off, he dropped some knowledge ... it's now called illness anxiety disorder, and he says people suffering from it are in "their perfect storm."

Phil says the wall-to-wall media coverage of coronavirus not only affirms their worst fears, it actually exacerbates the problem. Watch the clip ... he explains why their immune systems could be compromised by the panic.

Howie Mandel -- who's not a hypochondriac, but famously a germophobe -- showed up for 'AGT' Tuesday looking like most folks with illness anxiety disorder probably feel right about now.

Even more bad news ... Dr. Phil says it's near impossible now to convince them things aren't as bad as they seem.

Thousands of people who were stoked to attend Coachella next month aren't only disappointed, they're stressing out too ... over getting their money back from Airbnb.

As we reported ... the music festival's been postponed to October due to the coronavirus crisis, which means the folks who planned to travel to the Coachella Valley-area and booked a place to stay on Airbnb, are now scrambling for their refund.

That's because, so far, the online booking company is only offering full, automatic refunds to people who were traveling to countries like China, Italy and South Korea ... a fairly short list considering the virus has spread worldwide.

So, renters looking to get their money back have instead been instructed to cancel their reservation -- which automatically refunds 50 percent of their payment -- but they then have to reach out to the host, explain the extenuating circumstance for the cancellation ... and request return of the remaining 50% plus cleaning fees and other expenses.

The good news -- if a host rejects the full refund, renters can file a claim with Airbnb for a special review, and this policy includes some language that seems to support giving folks their cash back.

The policy reads ... "Epidemic disease or illness that suddenly affects a region or an entire group of people" qualifies as a special review circumstance, and policy decisions will be "based on announcements by the World Health Organization and local authorities."

Considering local officials declared a public health emergency in the county where Coachella's located, which clearly contributed to the postponement ... it should certainly fall under this category.

But, the ball's in Airbnb's court ... and so far, refunds are no guarantee.

'AGT' is having a rough go today -- first Howie Mandel shows up to set in a full hazmat suit ... and then we learned Heidi Klum was too ill to work.

Heidi showed up to shoot "America's Got Talent" in Pasadena Tuesday with a smile, but looks can be deceiving. She felt physically ill.

Only 3 judges entered the stage -- Heidi was missing. The judges told the audience she had a case of suspected food poisoning, and Sofia Vergara joked she had sent Heidi food last night. We've learned it was NOT food poisoning -- she just felt like crap.

Unclear what's ailing her, but people get sick all the time and it has nothing to do with the coronavirus.

Interesting ... there was a full audience for the taping today. TMZ broke the story, "Jeopardy!" and "Wheel of Fortune" are now taping without an audience. Ditto for Wendy Williams and Dr. Phil's shows.

No word if Heidi's gonna dress like Howie the next time she arrives on set ...

LeBron James has done a complete 180 just days after emphatically stating he would NEVER play an NBA game in a fan-less arena ... now saying he'll do what the league thinks is best.

Remember, the King was asked about playing in front of an empty arena after Friday's game ... to which he strongly replied, "We play games without the fans? Nah, it's impossible ... I ain't playing!"

James -- who says he wasn't aware the league was actually exploring the idea -- now says he'll do whatever medical experts suggest is safest for the Association.

"I had no idea that it was actually a conversation going on behind closed doors about the particular virus," LeBron said at Lakers' practice on Tuesday.

"Obviously, I would be very disappointed not having the fans, because that's who I play for. I play for my family, I play for my fans."

LeBron added ... "At the same time, you gotta listen to the people that's keeping track on what's going on ... and if they feel like it's best for the safety of the players, safety of the franchise, safety of the league to mandate that, then we will all listen to it."

WWE stud Angel Garza clearly doesn't care ONE BIT about possibly contracting COVID-19 ... the wrestler kissed a fan at an event Monday, and said afterward he doesn't believe in the virus!!

Garza -- who wrestles with a "ladies man" shtick -- was walking out for his RAW match at Capital One Arena in D.C. ... when he found a lady friend on the railing.

Coronavirus concerns be damned ... the 27-year-old let her touch his face TWICE -- and then he leaned in and gave her a big smooch on the cheek!!

Of course, that's become a huge no-no in today's sports world ... because thousands of people have been affected by Coronavirus and more and more are being infected daily.

But, Garza took to Twitter on Tuesday to explain his actions, saying in Spanish, "Coronavirus does NOT exist everything is in the mind."

Garza might be taking the whole situation as a joke ... but WWE officials certainly aren't -- they say they're monitoring the situation closely when it comes to next month's Wrestlemania event in Tampa.

Yeah, competing in the Olympics without fans would be weird -- but it's not a crazy idea ... this according to track legend Jackie Joyner-Kersee who says, "it would be just like practicing."

"I hope it doesn't come to that, but I also want our nation and our world to be safe," JJK told us in New York City.

Of course, everyone is freaking out about the coronavirus -- and multiple major pro sports organizations are kicking around the idea of banning fans from attending events in person.

With the 2020 Olympic Games just around the corner in Tokyo, people are wondering if there will be a no-fan policy there as well.

Jackie Joyner-Kersee tells us the athletes should try their best to stay focused on training -- despite global panic.

"I'm sure our Olympic hopefuls and Olympians are training hard. And, it's out of their control. But, the most important thing is safety for the world."

LeBron James recently said if the NBA bans fans, he WILL NOT play -- but it doesn't sound like Jackie is down with that plan.

Jackie is one of the greatest U.S. track and field athletes of all time -- with 3 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze medals on her resume.

THE SHOW MUST GO ON!!!! Even during a worldwide Coronavirus scare ... so says wrestling superstar-turned-Fozzy frontman Chris Jericho, who tells TMZ Sports his band ain't canceling their tour.

The music industry has taken a hit in recent days thanks to the disease ... with huge festivals like SXSW and Ultra (canceled), Coachella and Stagecoach (postponed) deciding to switch up the plan.

On top of that, Pearl Jam has postponed the spring dates of its North American tour ... so when we saw Jericho at LAX on Monday ... we had to ask if his shows were going on as scheduled.

"Why wouldn't they?" Jericho tells us, adding he's not looking to cancel "unless the cops tell us we can't."

FYI -- Fozzy has a huge following ... and the band's biggest hit, "Judas" has more than 35 MILLION views on YouTube.

The band is set to go on a tour through the States starting next month ... and will go through the end of August.

Jericho calls the Coronavirus "mass hysteria" ... and it's clear he's ready to rock out for all those dates.

Rob Lowe's game show that's supposed to be an obstacle course for the mind is about to become a maze of budget misery for producers ... who got screwed by the coronavirus.

Sources connected to Rob tell TMZ ... season 2 of "Mental Samurai" is moving forward as scheduled -- it's set to air next month -- but there's been a wrench thrown in that's kinda left the team holding the bag financially.

'MS' was scheduled to shoot new episodes in Madrid, Spain for the upcoming season. An entire second set was built in Madrid for international versions of the show, and producers of the American version were going to use the set, presumably in part to save money.

Season 1 was shot on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, but producers wanted to go a different route. Now that they can't, we're told they will use the same Burbank sound stage and set they used in the first season.

Of course, much of Europe is under partial or full quarantines right now ... and Spain is no exception.

We're told the show will be delivered on time, for the April 22 season 2 premiere on Fox.