Jay Leno criticized late-night hosts who cater to just one half of their viewers with politically charged humor, focusing exclusively on one side of the ideological divide.
In a recent interview with the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, the 75-year-old former host of The Tonight Show shared his thoughts about late-night TV. Although the interview was recorded at least two weeks ago, possibly before CBS decided to cancel The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on July 17, a part of the interview criticizing late-night programming was uploaded to YouTube last week. This clip has been gaining attention this weekend due to recent news headlines.
David Trulio, as both president and CEO of the foundation, began the meeting by pointing out to Leno that his humor was evenly distributed in poking fun at both Democrats and Republicans.
Leno shared that he received two contrasting letters criticizing him, one stating ‘You and your Republican associates,’ and another saying ‘I hope you and your Democratic companions are pleased.’ This joke apparently sparked a response, as now he has to cater to only half of his audience because he expresses his personal views.
In other words, Leno shared that Rodney Dangerfield and he were friends for four decades, yet they never delved into politics during their conversations. Instead, they focused on exchanging jokes. Leno believes that a comedy show serves as an escape from life’s stresses, and while he appreciates political humor, he finds it essential for audiences not to become too aligned with one side or the other.
Leno ended by stating, “I believe nobody desires a lecture… Why aim for only half the listeners? Instead, let’s strive to captivate everyone. I prefer engaging people in the broader perspective. It confuses me as to why one would intentionally exclude a specific group or not do it at all. I’m not asking you to take sides. Just make it amusing.
For a period of 17 years, divided into two tenures, Jay Leno served as the host for The Tonight Show, with his first tenure starting in 1999 and ending in 2014. During these years, the NBC program typically ranked highest among late-night shows.
CBS unexpectedly declared that The Late Show would end in May 2026, citing it as a “financial decision.” However, this announcement followed closely after Colbert publicly criticized the network for offering a large sum of money, approximately $16 million, to President Donald Trump as part of a settlement concerning a 60 Minutes interview. Newsbusters, a conservative media monitoring group, pointed out that since 2022, The Late Show has hosted 176 guests with apparent left-leaning views and only one Republican guest, while also scheduling 43 left-leaning guests during the first half of 2025.
Other late-night TV show hosts, such as Jimmy Fallon of The Tonight Show, have expressed support for Stephen Colbert following the decision. Their colleagues under the same parent company, Paramount Global, have been particularly critical. Stewart, a fellow entertainer, commented, “Programs that speak up, take a stance, and are brave are the ones that make money… If you think you can create a bland, uncontroversial product to avoid attention from powerful figures… then why would anyone tune in to you?
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2025-07-27 17:24