Comedians pay tribute to the Upright Citizens Brigade as theater permanently shutters NYC locations

The Upright Citizens Brigade might be responsible for creating some of the funniest people in America, but nobody was laughing Tuesday when co-founders Amy Poehler, Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh announced the permanent closure of UCB's locations in New York due to the coronavirus outbreak.

"This is devastating to us, but for some time now, even in a normal, robust economy, we have barely been able to pay the high rents in New York City for the Hell's Kitchen Theater and the Training Center," the creators wrote in an email, as reported by Vulture. "Given the indefinite shutdown of all theaters and schools in both Los Angeles and New York City and the anticipated slow and uncertain return to normal when restrictions are lifted, we cannot afford to continue on in our New York City leases."

Tributes poured out from UCB alumni, including The Tonight Show writer Mike Drucker, who tweeted "UCB NY wasn't perfect, but it did help drive me to try comedy ... Most importantly, it taught me I'm bad at improv and should never do it and for that, I am grateful." Added comedian Jordan Klepper, "I remain hopeful … I'm still looking forward to pulling off something beautiful in the third beat."

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Despite terminating its leases, UCB confirmed it would live on in New York in a "pared-down form."