Introduction to Late-Night TV Politics
Jay Leno, a veteran of late-night television, believes that current late-night TV comedians have become too politicized. He thinks that by taking a clear stance on one side or the other, they risk losing half of their audience. Leno shared his thoughts in a recent interview with David Trulio, President and CEO of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute.
The Problem with Politicized Comedy
Leno stated that people come to a comedy show to escape the pressures of life, but now they have to be satisfied with half of the audience because they have to give their opinion. He did not mention any specific names, but the current list of late-night hosts, including Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Jon Stewart, John Oliver, Seth Meyers, and others, often mock President Trump and the MAGA movement. However, they also occasionally mock Democrats.
Leno’s Experience with Political Humor
Leno loves political humor, but he believes that when people come too much to one side or the other, it can be a problem. He asked rhetorically, "Why shoot for half an audience?" Leno’s interview with Trulio was conducted before CBS announced the cancellation of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," which the network claimed was a "purely financial decision."
The Cancellation of Colbert’s Show
The cancellation of Colbert’s show seemed to be another concession to Trump after the CBS parent company, Paramount Global, agreed to pay the President $16 million to settle a lawsuit. After Trump said, "I love Colbert was fired," Colbert told Trump to "fuck himself." David Letterman, the former host of "Late Show," struck the cancellation of Colbert’s show as an act of "pure cowardice" and suggested that Skydance media, which is taking over Paramount, wanted to avoid problems with the Trump administration.
Leno’s Strategy for Political Humor
Leno’s strategy for political humor was to make fun of both sides equally. He said that when he got hate mail saying "You and your Republican friends" and "Well, Mr. Leno, I hope you and your Democratic buddies are happy" about the same joke, he knew he was doing something right. Leno previously shared his conviction that late-night hosts who came after him are too one-sided, stating that he always liked to "humiliate and degrade both sides equally."
Leno’s Legacy in Late-Night TV
Leno hosted "The Tonight Show" on NBC from 1992 to 2009 and again from 2010-2014. He was the first talk show host to interview a sitting president when President Barack Obama appeared on the show in March 2009. After Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election, Leno said that he was "not a fan of Trump," but that "the nice thing about this choice was, it was fair, it was honest… there was no fraud." Leno’s approach to political humor has been studied, and a George Mason University analysis found that he was "roughly balanced" when judging Republicans and Democrats on his show.
