Last week, we reported that CBS had canceled The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Now, the former Tonight Show host Jay Leno has broken his silence to respond to Colbert’s firing for the first time.
Instead of siding with Colbert, however, Leno took the opportunity to slam modern late night shows for alienating half of their audience with partisan politics. Indeed, Colbert and his fellow leftwing Hollywood elites won’t be happy about what Leno had to say!
Leno Sounds Off
Over the weekend, Leno sat down for an interview with David Trulio, the president and CEO of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation. Their conversation quickly turned to the concept of political humor.
“I read that there was an analysis done of your work on The Tonight Show for the 22 years and that your jokes were roughly equally balanced between going after Republicans and taking aim at Democrats. Did you have a strategy?” asked Trulio.
“It was fun to me when I got hate letters [like] ‘Dear Mr. Leno, you and your Republican friends’ and ‘Well, Mr. Leno, I hope you and your Democratic buddies are happy’ — over the same joke,” responded Leno, 75.
‘And I go, ’Well, that’s good,'” he added. “That’s how you get a whole audience.”
Leno went on to talk about just how much late night has changed in recent years amidst a political landscape that is more divisive than ever.
“Now you have to be content with half the audience because you have [to] give your opinion,” Leno lamented.
Related: Here’s The Real Reason CBS Canceled ‘Late Show With Stephen Colbert’
Leno Offers Some Advice
When asked if he has any advice for the comedians of today, Leno brought up his longtime friendship with late comedy legend Rodney Dangerfield, who died in 2004 at the age of 82.
“I knew Rodney 40 years,” Leno explained. “I have no idea if he was Democrat or Republican. We never discussed [it], we just discussed jokes.”
“And to me, I like to think that people come to a comedy show to kind of get away from the things, you know, the pressures of life, whatever it might be,” he continued. “And I love political humor, don’t get me wrong, but it’s just what happens when people wind up cozying too much to one side or the other.”
‘Funny Is Funny’
Leno went on to express his belief that comedy should be used to unite people and create common ground.
“Funny is funny,” Leno stated. “It’s funny when someone who’s not….when you make fun of their side and they laugh at it, you know, that’s kind of what I do.”
“I just find getting out — I don’t think anybody wants to hear a lecture,” he continued. “When I was with Rodney, it was always in the economy of words — get to the joke as quickly as possible.”
Trulio replied by pointing out how successful Leno and Dangerfield each were. He specifically noted how their “approach worked in the marketplace.”
“Well, why shoot for just half an audience all the time? You know, why not try to get the whole [audience],” Leno concluded. “I mean, I like to bring people into the big picture. I don’t understand why you would alienate one particular group, you know, or just don’t do it at all. I’m not saying you have to throw your support or whatever, but just do what’s funny.”
Amen to that!
CBS Losing $40-50 Million On Colbert’s Show
Given how critical Colbert has been under the current administration, many have claimed that his show was canceled for political reason. However, it’s since been revealed that CBS was losing $40-50 million per year on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
“Colbert gets no advertising and late night is a tough spot,” one source with direct knowledge of CBS’s decision told The New York Post. “Colbert might be No. 1, but who watches late night TV anymore?”
The insider went on to say that CBS is a “melting ice cube” with its losses and cost overruns. That’s why executives are launching a plan to enhance CBS Sports. They also are eager to invest in in “truth-based” news at a network that conservatives have long claimed has a strong liberal bias.
Full Story: Stephen Colbert Humiliated As The $40 Million Reason CBS Canceled His Late Night Show Is Revealed
Leno is correct in calling out what a bad idea it is for late night hosts like Colbert to alienate half their audiences with their political preachiness. Had Colbert taken a page out of Leno’s playbook, and created an apolitical late night show that all Americans could enjoy regardless of their political leanings, perhaps he’d still be on the air.
In the end, Colbert simply can’t measure up to a brilliant late night host like Leno. If only we had comedians like Jay Leno still ruling the world of late night today!
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