The performance show was suspended in the Eastern and Central time zones for approximately a half hour at 9 p.m. ET due to the grand jury decision resulting from the shooting of Michael Brown by police in Ferguson, Missouri (and the unrest that followed). When NBC News coverage ended, the program resumed from the point at which it had been suspended. Viewers in the Mountain time zone saw the live coverage at 7 p.m., when the episode was supposed to start, then the performance show was shown on a delay; however, the part announcing the start of the NBC News special report was edited out as the show aired in real time. The episodes aired without any interruption for Pacific time zone, and in the states of Alaska and Hawaii.