John Oliver shares his reaction to Jay Leno’s criticism of late-night television shows.
The former Tonight Show host, 75, recently said that he believes the current hosts of the late-night talk show are alienating viewers with blatantly partisan politics.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published on Tuesday, August 5, Oliver quipped, “I’m going to get a hard pass on taking comedy advice from Jay Leno.”
By Last Week Tonight, the host also elaborated that “comedy can’t be for everyone” after Leno noted that late-night hosts should be targeted to appeal to the widest possible audience.
“It’s inherently subjective,” explained the 48-year-old, 48-year-old. “So, yeah, when you do acting, some people try to play to a wider audience, which is perfectly legitimate. Others decide not to, which is equally legitimate. I mean, I don’t think it’s a question of what you should do, because I don’t think comedy is receptive in that way. It’s just what people want.”
He added: “I think our show clearly comes from a point of view, but most of these long stories that we do are not partisan political. They are about systemic issues. Our last shows were about gang databases, AI bias, juvenile justice, med spas, air traffic control. I’m not saying they don’t have a point of view, of course you want people to be many to reach people, who are many to reach people, to reach people. You don’t agree on what the solution is.”
Speaking in an interview with the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute in late July, Leno looked back on his tenure as host of The Tonight Show — which he hosted from 1992 to 2009 and again from 2010 to 2014 — and said he tries to maintain political neutrality on his show.
“It was funny to me when I got hate mail: ‘You and your Republican friends’ [or] ‘Well, I hope you and your Democratic friends are happy’… about the same joke,” Leno said. “I go, ‘Okay, that’s good.’ That way you get a whole audience.”
Jay Leno’s life is filled with comedy milestones, heated celebrity feuds, and one major career turning point. The standup comedian shook up the entire TV landscape when he was hired to replace Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show in 1992—a late-night television event that would continue into the 2000s. All told, […]
A relatively late-night television veteran said, “Now you have to be happy with half the audience because you have to give your opinion.”
“I don’t think anyone wants to hear a lecture,” Leno continued. “I love political humor, don’t get me wrong, but what happens is people get too carried away with one side or the other.”
“Why shoot at half the audience? Why not try to get the whole thing? I like to bring people into the big picture. I don’t see why you’d alienate one particular group,” he said. “Or just don’t do it at all. I’m not saying you have to throw out the support or anything, but just do what’s funny.”
