S06E19 “Live from Studio 6H”

This ashtray was not present on the table there at all until about two-thirds of the way through the episode. It just inexplicably appears in this scene which begins with a close-up of the table. This same thing happens in both the east coast and west coast versions. It must be intentional.

My first thought was that they are related to the earlier scenes in which clips from old NBC shows depict the actors/hosts/anchors smoking a lot. Maybe these are the IRL “butts” from the prop cigarettes they had gone through during dress rehearsals and such, but those prop cigarettes they used did not have the orange filters that we see here.