It was solely a matter of time till Jay Leno had one thing to say — though, whether or not he mentioned something really in response to the mud up at “The Late Present With Stephen Colbert” is rather less clear. In an interview posted final week by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Basis, taped two weeks in the past, Leno took the present slate of late evening hosts to process.
“I acquired hate letters [when hosting ‘The Tonight Show’] saying, ‘You and your Republican mates,’ and one other saying, ‘I hope you and your Democratic buddies are glad’ — over the identical joke,” Leno associated (by way of THR). “That’s the way you get an entire viewers. Now it’s a must to be content material with half the viewers, as a result of it’s a must to give your opinion.”
Leno continued to clarify how, in his day, mates didn’t speak about their political positions — even these within the comedic realm. “Rodney Dangerfield and I have been mates. I knew Rodney 40 years and I don’t know if he was a Democrat or Republican. We by no means mentioned politics, we simply mentioned jokes. I prefer to suppose that folks come to a comedy present to get away from the pressures of life. I like political humor — don’t get me flawed. However folks wind up cozying an excessive amount of to 1 facet or the opposite,” he mentioned.
Regardless of when it was filmed, the timing of its launch would appear deliberate, contemplating that Stephen Colbert‘s sequence has been the topic of “was it cancelled due to its politics?” rumors because the information broke on July 17 — particularly contemplating the timing of the CBS/Paramount-Skydance merger approval by the Trump Administration’s Justice Division. If Leno nonetheless stands by this opinion two weeks later, it will put him on a lonely late evening island. Nearly each different determine within the mainstream — from Jimmy Fallon to Jimmy Kimmel to Jon Stewart to earlier “Late Present” host David Letterman — have expressed assist for Colbert and lambasted the sequence’ dad or mum firm.
“I don’t suppose it was cash… it was pure cowardice,” Letterman mentioned on his YouTube channel July 25. “What the fuck is Skydance, trustworthy to Christ? Is it a reduction airline? Is that what it’s? I feel in the future, if not at this time, the folks at CBS, who’ve manipulated and dealt with this are going to be embarrassed as a result of that is that is gutless. I solely want this might occur to me… Combating with community tv administration was primary within the playbook.”
However Leno maintains a diverting method — even in these uncommon Trumpian occasions — from the fashion adopted by Colbert. “I don’t suppose anyone desires to listen to a lecture … Why shoot for simply half an viewers? Why not attempt to get the entire? I prefer to carry folks into the massive image. I don’t perceive why you’d alienate one explicit group — or simply don’t do it in any respect. I’m not saying it’s a must to throw your assist [on one side]. However simply do what’s humorous,” he concluded.
Final yr on “The Speak,” Leno mentioned one thing related, however appeared to point that his fashion didn’t work within the current period. “Now you sort of must take a facet,” he mentioned (by way of THR). “It’s a little bit bit completely different, however the good factor about this election is, it was honest. I used to be not a fan [of Trump], however that’s OK. It’s the president of america. Let’s all get collectively, thanks very a lot.”