John Oliver and Jay Leno have differing opinions in relation to political comedy on late-night TV.
In a latest interview with David Trulio, president and CEO of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Basis, Leno criticized late-night hosts for alienating “half the viewers” with their private political views. “It’s humorous when … you make enjoyable of their aspect and so they giggle at it. I don’t suppose anyone needs to listen to a lecture,” he mentioned, including, “I don’t perceive why you’d alienate one specific group … simply do what’s humorous.”
Oliver, nonetheless, instructed The Hollywood Reporter in an interview revealed on Tuesday, August 5, that he’ll “take a tough go on taking comedic recommendation from Jay Leno.”
When requested if late-night reveals ought to enchantment extra to each side of the political spectrum, Oliver said, “Who thinks that method? Executives? Comedy can’t be for everybody. It’s inherently subjective. So, yeah, if you do stand-up, some folks attempt to play to a broader viewers, which is totally professional. Others resolve to not, which is equally professional. I assume I don’t suppose it’s a query of what it’s best to do as a result of I don’t suppose comedy is prescriptive in that method. It’s simply what folks need.”
Referring to his personal sequence, Final Week Tonight With John Oliver, he mentioned, “I feel our present clearly comes from a viewpoint, however most of these lengthy tales we do will not be social gathering political. They’re about systemic points. Our previous couple of reveals had been about gang databases, AI slop, juvenile justice, med spas, air visitors management. I’m not saying that these don’t have a viewpoint in them. In fact they do. However I hope quite a lot of them really attain throughout folks’s political persuasions. You need folks to no less than have the ability to agree on the issue, even in case you disagree on what the answer to it’s.”
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Oliver and Leno’s interviews come on the heels of The Late Present With Stephen Colbert‘s cancellation at CBS. The community claimed final month that the choice was purely monetary, although some have speculated it was politically motivated. The cancellation occurred shortly after Paramount settled a $16 million lawsuit with President Donald Trump over his claims that 60 Minutes deceptively edited a 2024 interview that includes former Vice President Kamala Harris.
“What’s occurred to The Late Present is extremely unhappy for comedy and, clearly, for the workers in that constructing, Oliver instructed THR of the cancellation. “It actually resonated with me when Stephen mentioned he hoped handy this present over to another person. You hope that the franchise lives on partly as a result of there are generations of youngsters watching these reveals and deciding, ‘Possibly I’d prefer to be a comedy author,’ after which perhaps writing on that present.”
He added, “Simply as there are Colbert writers that watched Letterman, there will likely be future writers that watched Colbert, and also you need that to proceed. I’m positive it’ll discover a option to exist in some type, we simply don’t but know precisely what that’s going to appear to be for community tv.”
Oliver was considered one of a number of TV hosts — together with Anderson Cooper, Andy Cohen, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, and Jon Stewart — to indicate their assist for Stephen Colbert by making cameos on The Late Present‘s July 21 episode. In a parody of the Coldplay kiss-cam scandal, Oliver and his fellow stars every had their very own hilarious reactions to being caught on digital camera within the present’s viewers.