Jay Leno Says Late Night Talk Show Hosts Are Too Politically One-Sided

Dan Lalonde
Jul 27
2 min read

Jay Leno Jimmy Kimmel Stephen Colbert Seth Meyers Jimmy Fallon

Did you hear the joke about the Democrats and Republicans in a lifeboat? The Democrat goes, "Those ain't buoys."

Jay Leno, in a recent interview with the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, talked about how late-night talk show hosts are leaning too one side in their stand-up comedy routine and how he tried to balance it equally. The interview was done before Stephen Colbert was fired over ten days ago from The Late Show on CBS.

“I got hate letters saying, ‘You and your Republican friends,’ and another saying, ‘I hope you and your Democratic buddies are happy’ — over the same joke,” Leno says. “That’s how you get a whole audience. Now you have to be content with half the audience, because you have to give your opinion.”

Continued Leno: “Rodney Dangerfield and I were friends. I knew Rodney 40 years and I have no idea if he was a Democrat or Republican. We never discussed politics, we just discussed jokes. I like to think that people come to a comedy show to get away from the pressures of life. I love political humor — don’t get me wrong. But people wind up cozying too much to one side or the other.”

Leno finished with: “I don’t think anybody wants to hear a lecture … Why shoot for just half an audience? Why not try to get the whole? I like to bring people into the big picture. I don’t understand why you would alienate one particular group — or just don’t do it at all. I’m not saying you have to throw your support [on one side]. But just do what’s funny.”

Do you think political comedy is out of hand? Or do you think Leno is out of touch? Comment below with your thoughts.