Jay Leno Slams Modern Late-Night TV Amid Stephen Colbert’s Cancellation

Former “The Tonight Present” host Jay Leno is weighing in on the present state of late-night tv, and he’s not holding again.

Jay Leno’s remarks come at a very tense second within the late-night world, one marked by controversy, cancellation, and company clashes.

In a newly released interview with Ronald Reagan Presidential Basis president David Trulio, the previous “Tonight Present” host criticized the more and more political tone of contemporary comedy, saying at the moment’s late-night hosts are isolating half their potential viewers by leaning too closely into partisan commentary.

“I wish to suppose that folks come to a comedy present to form of get away from the issues, the pressures of life, wherever it is likely to be,” Leno stated “And I like political humor, don’t get me mistaken, however what occurs (is) individuals wind up cozying an excessive amount of to 1 facet or the opposite.”

“Why shoot for simply half an viewers, why not attempt to get the entire (viewers)?” he requested. “I imply, I wish to carry individuals into the large image. I don’t perceive why you’ll alienate one explicit group. Or simply don’t do it in any respect. I’m not saying it’s important to throw your assist or no matter, however simply do what’s humorous.”

“Humorous is humorous,” he continued. “I wish to suppose that folks come to a comedy present to get away from the pressures of life. I don’t suppose anyone needs to listen to a lecture.”

Reflecting on his personal 22-year tenure at NBC, Leno defined that his strategy to comedy was at all times rooted in stability.

“I bought hate letters saying, ‘You and your Republican pals,’ and one other saying, ‘I hope you and your Democratic buddies are blissful,’ over the identical joke,” he advised Trulio. “That’s the way you get an entire viewers.”

Leno recalled his longtime friendship with legendary comedian Rodney Dangerfield, declaring that regardless of realizing him for 4 a long time, he by no means as soon as knew his political affiliation. “We by no means mentioned politics, we simply mentioned jokes,” he stated.

The late-night legend went on to argue that trendy comedians are too centered on taking sides. “Now it’s important to be content material with half the viewers, as a result of it’s important to give your opinion,” he stated.

Jay Leno then emphasised that whereas political humor has its place, comedy ought to unite moderately than divide. “It’s humorous when somebody who’s not [on your side] laughs on the joke, that’s form of what I do.”

His remarks come at a time when late-night TV is present process a serious shift, with declining rankings, altering viewer habits, and elevated scrutiny over political bias.

Simply days earlier than Leno’s interview surfaced, “The Late Present with Stephen Colbert” made headlines for a really completely different motive.

A media firestorm erupted after Stephen Colbert took a pointed swipe at CBS’s guardian firm, Paramount International, throughout an on-air monologue. The comic blasted the community for its $16 million defamation lawsuit settlement with President Donald Trump, sarcastically dubbing it a “large, fats bribe.”

The fiery second ignited hypothesis, and simply days later, Colbert revealed that “The Late Present” can be ending in Could 2026.