The Uncertainty is Real
Every once in awhile, Ellen will have to cancel a shoot day due to unforeseen circumstances. Often, these cancellations are last-minute, and they have historically occurred right before the show was intended to start (and in one particular case, Ellen just didn’t show up while the audience sat in their respective seats). This is a liability issue for the studio, but they seemed to have covered themselves pretty effectively via the contract that all audience members are required to sign before going onto the show.