Earlier this month, New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers bizarrely predicted that Jimmy Kimmel could be one of many celebrities whose title would seem on the checklist of Jeffrey Epstein’s associates.
Nonetheless, when the checklist was finally made public, Kimmel’s title was nowhere to be discovered.
However not surprisingly, the comedian took nice offense at Rodgers’ allegation, and he berated the soccer legend-turned-conspiracy theorist in a collection of scathing monologues and social media posts.
It was a weird collection of occasions that served to spotlight the bitter political divisions which have lately torn the US inhabitants in two.
It was additionally essentially the most fascinating factor to occur on the earth of late-night comedy since Jay Leno kicked Conan O’Brien out of the Tonight Present chair.
At the moment noticed one other intriguing growth on the earth of post-prime time speak reveals, as Showtime and MTV Leisure Studios introduced that Jon Stewart shall be returning as host of The Day by day Present starting February 12.
The effective print on that announcement revealed that Stewart shall be sitting in at his previous job solely on Monday nights, and solely till the November elections.
After all, Stewart is without doubt one of the most beloved and influential late-night hosts of the ’90s and early 2000s.
(Heck, have been it not for him, we would not even know the title Stephen Colbert!)
So information that the person who helped form a technology’s political opinions shall be returning to Comedy Central was understandably greeted with great pleasure.
However whereas we’re as enthusiastic as anybody by the truth that Stewart’s acerbic wit will as soon as once more be a characteristic of the essential cable panorama, his return highlights two unsettling issues on the earth of late night time.
One is the necessity for title recognition in an more and more hyper-competitive market.
Final week noticed the introduction of a brand-new entry to the crowded late-night subject within the type Taylor Tomlinson’s After Midnight, which fills the CBS post-Colbert slot vacated by James Corden.
However information of that present did not generate practically as a lot buzz because the Stewart announcement.
That is as a result of, regardless of her sizable following on social media (1.5 million on Instagram alone), Tomlinson is a relative unknown within the mainstream.
And her young-skewing viewers most likely is not tuning into a lot community TV, particularly not at 12:35 am on weeknights.
Late night time was once a breeding floor for up-and-coming expertise, a spot the place little-known comics like David Letterman and Conan might lower their enamel.
Today, it is a comparatively barren terrain the place A-list names battle over scraps.
The viewers for these reveals is a fraction of what it as soon as was, and that is partially due to the second downside highlighted by Stewart’s return.
Sure, that is the half the place we focus on the over-politicization of late night time.
Now, do not get us unsuitable, speak present hosts have been roasting politicians for the reason that days of Johnny Carson and JFK.
However for many of these years, the emcees have been equal-opportunity offenders, skewering politicians from either side of the aisle — and extra for his or her mannerisms than for his or her insurance policies.
Today, many People really feel that the likes of Kimmel and Colbert are ideologues first and comedians second.
Moreover, not less than half of the potential viewers for these reveals probably believes that the hosts are pushing an agenda that falls to the left of their very own perception system.
That is actually the one rationalization for a way Greg Gutfeld’s comedy-tinged speak present on Fox Information might repeatedly outperform the community stalwarts.
Someplace within the center is NBC’s Jimmy Fallon, who strives to stroll the slim tightrope of centrism within the style of his Tonight Present predecessors.
However that is no straightforward feat in 2024, and in his few forays into the political enviornment, Fallon has managed to alienate giant segments of his viewers.
(Keep in mind when the host ruffled Donald Trump’s hair in 2016? It appears a bit quaint now, however on the time, the incident had viewers calling for Fallon’s job!)
These days, taking a late-night internet hosting gig can imply committing to a slate of beliefs that meet the approval of the present’s producers and goal demographic.
The Day by day Present state of affairs highlights the complexity of the present panorama.
In taking the reins from Stewart, Trevor Noah struggled to search out an equal-sized viewers, partly as a result of nowadays, the college-age liberals who helped make Stewart’s model so successful have a tendency to carry views that fall to the left of what is permissible to specific on primary cable.
Noah might be thanking his fortunate stars that he bailed earlier than being pressured to cowl the Israel-Palestine battle on a nightly foundation.
When Noah stepped down, producers looked for a full-time substitute however finally gave up, opting as an alternative to depend on a rotating roster of comics.
Now, because the nation braces itself for one more presidential election, the late-night neighborhood needs to be making ready for its quadrennial resurgence in recognition.
In any case, nothing yields viral comedic moments fairly just like the mania of a tightly contested battle for the White Home.
Nonetheless, with the prospect of a Biden-Trump rematch looming and the late-night gigs principally remaining occupied by the identical guys who have been internet hosting in 2020, it appears unlikely that any sizable chunk of the American shall be wanting ahead to the post-11 o’clock information slot for some much-needed comedian reduction.
The return of Stewart as soon as per week is likely to be a boon for Comedy Central’s ailing late-night lineup.
However for viewers, it would function a bittersweet reminder of a time when the hours between 11 pm and 1 am nonetheless supplied up important viewing.
Tyler Johnson is an Affiliate Editor for TV Fanatic and the opposite Mediavine O&O websites. In his spare time, he enjoys studying, cooking, and, in fact, watching TV. You’ll be able to Follow him on X and e mail him right here at TV Fanatic.
