Patton Oswalt Cancels Florida Shows Because Of COVID-19

FLORIDA — Comedian Patton Oswalt has canceled four December tour dates in Florida and a Jan. 7 show in Salt Lake City because venues wouldn’t comply with his COVID-19 safety protocols.

Oswalt’s “Who’s Ready to Laugh” tour kicks off in Massachusetts Friday and ends in Chicago April 9.

The comedian is requiring everyone attending his shows to submit proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test within 48 or 72 hours of entry, depending on the venue and location, he said in a video he shared on Instagram.

“The good news is we are keeping everyone who is coming to these shows safe and healthy because the numbers are going up,” he said. “Now, the bad news, of course, is there are five venues on the tour that are not complying with this, and I’ll give you one guess as to which state it is.”

Oswalt was scheduled to appear at the Parker Playhouse in Fort Lauderdale Dec. 27, Hard Rock Live in Orlando Dec. 29 and the Capitol Theatre in Clearwater Dec. 30, according to his original tour schedule published by Brooklyn Vegan.

In his Instagram video, he said he was planning to add additional dates in Orlando and Clearwater.

In April, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order banning vaccine passports — documentation that indicates whether an individual has received the COVID-19 vaccine or not — in Florida.

This executive order prohibits businesses from asking customers to see proof of their vaccination status before providing services or allowing them entry.

Related Story: Tampa Bay Businesses Discuss Vaccine Passport Ban, Masks

"Requiring so-called COVID-19 vaccine passports for taking part in everyday life – such as attending a sporting event, patronizing a restaurant or going to a movie would create two classes of citizens based on vaccination, and…it is necessary to protect the fundamental rights and privacies of Floridians and the free flow of commerce within the state," according to the executive order.

DeSantis’ administration will begin enforcing the executive order Sept. 16, fining businesses that ask their customers to show proof of vaccination $5,000 per violation.

Oswalt said canceling his Florida tour dates was a “difficult decision,” but one that needed to be made because of the high number of COVID-19 cases in the state.

“And also, because I have an ego, but my ego is not big enough to think people should die to hear my stupid comedy,” he said.

He said he’ll rebook these tour dates sometime in the future “when sanity holds sway again.”

“But this sucks,” the comedian added. “I was really looking forward to Florida and Salt Lake City.”

He told fans that he planned to arrive in Fort Lauderdale early so he could visit Slip F18 at the Bahia Mar marina, where the fictional character Travis McGee created by Sarasota author John D. MacDonald lived on his houseboat.