John Oliver takes ‘hard pass' on Jay Leno's comedy advice
The 'Last Week Tonight' host opened up on the fate of the media landscape following CBS pulling the plug on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.' While the network said the cancellation was due to so-called 'financial' reasons, some have attributed the decision to Colbert's comedy stylings, which leans heavily into the polarizing political climate.
Leno, who exited the late night scene in 2015, shared his views about why that type of content doesn't work — at least not for him. During a recent interview with David Trulio for The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, the 75-year-old comedian said he doesn't subscribe to mixing politics and humor for a mass audience.
''I like to think that people come to a comedy show to kind of get away from the things, the pressures of life, wherever it might be,' he said, adding: 'I love political humor, don't get me wrong, but what happens [is] people wind up cozying too much to one side or the other.'
'I don't understand why you would alienate one particular group … just do what's funny,' he concluded.
When asked about Leno's comments, Oliver dismissed his opinion.
'I'm going to take a hard pass on taking comedic advice from Jay Leno,' the 30-time Emmy Award winner told The Hollywood Reporter in a Q&A published Tuesday.
When probed further about the former 'Tonight Show' host's belief that comedy on late-night TV should cater to the widest audience possible, he poo-pooed that as well.
'Who thinks that way? Executives? Comedy can't be for everyone. It's inherently subjective,' Oliver said. 'So, yeah, when you do stand-up, some people try to play to a broader audience, which is completely legitimate. Others decide not to, which is equally legitimate.'
Regarding his own approach to comedy on his top-rated HBO series, Oliver admitted that his show 'clearly comes from a point of view' but argued that most of the bigger content pieces 'are not party political …they're about systemic issues.'
The British-American funnyman added: 'You want people to at least be able to agree on the problem, even if you disagree on what the solution to it is.'
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