Latest news with #comedy shows
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Jay Leno blasts late-night comedy hosts
Jay Leno is taking aim at modern late-night comedy shows, claiming the hosts are isolating half their viewers in an interview released just days after Stephen Colbert got the boot from CBS. The former Tonight Show host, 75, reflected on the shift in late-night culture during a sit-down interview with Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation president David Trulio. The candid conversation was taped two weeks ago but was recently shared and quickly circulated online. They spoke openly about comedy, politics, and what's changed in the late-night world. Trulio began by mentioning to Leno that his jokes had a reputation of being equally balanced in his time on air. '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?' Trulio asked. '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 said. '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.' 'Rodney Dangerfield and I were friends,' continued Leno. '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.' 'Funny is funny,' Leno said. '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.' He criticized comedians who inject their political opinions into every monologue and said he preferred making the whole audience laugh rather than pushing an agenda. '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,' he said. '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.' His comments come in the wake of Colbert's dramatic departure from The Late Show. A media frenzy engulfed The Late Show after Colbert publicly slammed the CBS show's parent corporation, Paramount Global, for settling a defamation lawsuit with Trump for $16 million, calling it a 'big, fat, bribe,' in his opening monologue. Just days after the searing call-out, Colbert told his studio audience that the network was ending The Late Show in May 2026. Speculation has loomed over why the show was canceled, with A-listers and fellow talk-show hosts coming to the comedian's defense. Colbert won an Emmy for his work on The Colbert Report, a satirical show that ran on Comedy Central from 2005 to 2014. After he replaced David Letterman on The Late Show, the program was nominated for the most Outstanding Talk Series at the Emmys from 2017 to 2022. Meanwhile, other late-night legends have rallied behind Colbert in the wake of his show's cancellation. Jimmy Fallon said: 'I don't like it. I don't like what's going on one bit. These are crazy times,' Fallon said, referencing how 'everybody [was] talking about' the decision. 'And many people are now threatening to boycott the network', he said, setting up another punchline. 'Yeah – CBS could lose millions of viewers, plus tens of hundreds watching on Paramount+.' David Letterman also backed his successor and suggested CBS canceled The Late Show because he was 'always shooting his mouth off' about Donald Trump. The 78-year-old late-night legend created The Late Show in 1993 after NBC denied him the chance to succeed Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show. In his first comment on the show's cancellation, Letterman noted that his show was more about political satire than his version of The Late Show but was still complimentary, calling the decision by CBS 'pure cowardice.' 'I think one day, if not today, the people at CBS who have manipulated and handled this, they're going to be embarrassed, because this is gutless,' he told former Late Show producers Barbara Gaines and Mary Barclay.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Jay Leno blasts late-night comedy hosts over divisive content as Colbert gets the boot from CBS
Jay Leno is taking aim at modern late-night comedy shows, claiming the hosts are isolating half their viewers in an interview released just days after Stephen Colbert got the boot from CBS. The former Tonight Show host, 75, reflected on the shift in late-night culture during a sit-down interview with Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation president David Trulio. The candid conversation was taped two weeks ago but was recently shared and quickly circulated online. They spoke openly about comedy, politics and what's changed in the late-night world. Trulio began by mentioning to Leno that his jokes had a reputation of being equally balanced in his time on air. '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?' Trulio asked. '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 said. '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.' 'Rodney Dangerfield and I were friends,' Continued Leno. '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.' 'Funny is funny,' Leno said. '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.' He criticized comedians who inject their political opinions into every monologue and said he preferred making the whole audience laugh rather than pushing an agenda. '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,' he said. '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.' His comments come in the wake of Colbert's dramatic departure from The Late Show. A media frenzy engulfed The Late Show after Colbert publicly slammed the CBS show's parent corporation, Paramount Global, for settling a defamation lawsuit with Trump for $16 million, calling it a 'big, fat, bribe,' in his opening monologue. Just days after the searing call-out, Colbert told his studio audience that the network was ending The Late Show in May 2026. Speculation has loomed over why the show was canceled, with A-listers and fellow talk-show hosts coming to the comedian's defense. Colbert won an Emmy for his work on The Colbert Report, a satirical show that ran on Comedy Central from 2005 to 2014. After he replaced David Letterman on The Late Show, the program was nominated for the most Outstanding Talk Series at the Emmys from 2017 to 2022. Meanwhile, other late-night legends have rallied behind Colbert in the wake of his show's cancellation. Jimmy Fallon said: 'I don't like it. I don't like what's going on one bit. These are crazy times,' Fallon said, referencing how 'everybody [was] talking about' the decision. 'And many people are now threatening to boycott the network', he said, setting up another punchline. 'Yeah - CBS could lose millions of viewers, plus tens of hundreds watching on Paramount+.' David Letterman also backed his successor and suggested CBS canceled The Late Show because he was 'always shooting his mouth off' about Donald Trump. The 78-year-old late-night legend created The Late Show in 1993 after NBC denied him the chance to succeed Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show. In his first comment on the show's cancellation, Letterman noted that his show was more about political satire than his version of The Late Show but was still complimentary, calling the decision by CBS 'pure cowardice.' 'I think one day, if not today, the people at CBS who have manipulated and handled this, they're going to be embarrassed, because this is gutless,' he told former Late Show producers Barbara Gaines and Mary Barclay.
The Independent
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
China warns comedians against stirring up gender discord ‘for the sake of being funny'
Chinese authorities warned comedians against stirring up gender discord in the Asian country after a video of a performer talking about her marriage went viral. In a notice issued over the weekend, the Zhejiang provincial publicity department criticised comedy shows for becoming a "battlefield" and simplifying gender issues into opposition between men and women. The authorities called out The King of Stand-up Comedy show on streaming platform iQiyi but did not name any comedian. The caution came after a number of recent performances by women comedians related to gender bias gained popularity in the country. Women's rights in China remain a contentious issue, with the government accused of systematically dismantling almost all expressions of independent feminist activism over the past decade, including the MeToo movement. 'Criticism is fine,' the notice on WeChat said but stressed that it should be 'constructive rather than revolve around gender opposition for the sake of being funny'. It suggested that instead of "mocking 'blindly confident men'', comedy was much better used exploring the social causes for this mentality. "Instead of blindly ridiculing 'materialistic women', it is better to reflect on how consumerism shapes gender roles," it added. "We sincerely hope that the rising stand-up comedy scene can become more rational and profound, with less division and more understanding." The King of Stand-up Comedy featured a performance earlier this month by 50-year-old comedian Fan Chunli, popularly known by her stage name Fangzhuren, that revolved around her marriage and why she had left her husband. Members of the audience were moved to tears and clips from the show went viral on Chinese social media. The Zhejiang warning was criticised on social media for being overly sensitive when "something is discussed from a female perspective". "Simply stating the facts now counts as inciting conflict between men and women?' a commentator on Weibo asked.
Fox News
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Trump declares there's 'strong word' that Kimmel and Fallon are next on the late-night chopping block
NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! President Donald Trump predicted Tuesday that both ABC and NBC would cancel their late-night comedy shows on the heels of CBS axing "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." In a post to his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said that NBC's "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" and ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" are likely to get canceled following CBS announcing Colbert would go off the air in May. "The word is, and it's a strong word at that, Jimmy Kimmel is NEXT to go in the untalented Late Night Sweepstakes and, shortly thereafter, Fallon will be gone," the president stated. He continued, "These are people with absolutely NO TALENT, who were paid Millions of Dollars for, in all cases, destroying what used to be GREAT Television. It's really good to see them go, and I hope I played a major part in it!" SCHIFF, WARREN DEMAND TO KNOW IF CBS IS ENDING STEPHEN COLBERT'S 'LATE SHOW' FOR 'POLITICAL REASONS' CBS announced last Thursday that it would cancel "The Late Show" next May at the end of its broadcast season. The network clarified in its announcement that the cancellation was "purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night," and noted, "It is not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount." COLBERT'S 'LATE SHOW' WAS REPORTEDLY LOSING CBS $40M A YEAR AS CRITICS SPECULATE POLITICS DROVE CANCELLATION The news came weeks after CBS and parent company Paramount reached a $16 million settlement with Trump following his lawsuit against the network for how it edited an interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of the 2024 presidential election. Colbert was outspoken against the settlement , calling it a "big fat bribe" ahead of Paramount's merger with Skydance Media. CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE Trump was gleeful about Colbert's cancellation last week. "I absolutely love that Colbert got fired," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday. "His talent was even less than his ratings. I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert! Greg Gutfeld is better than all of them combined, including the Moron on NBC who ruined the once great Tonight Show." Colbert responded to Trump's initial reaction during the opening monologue of his show Monday night, stating, "How dare you, sir? Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism? Go f--- yourself." The comic also joked about Trump's Kimmel prediction, stating, "Absolutely not, Kimmel. I am the martyr, OK? There's only room for one on this cross, and I got to tell you, the view is fantastic from up here!" JON STEWART BLASTS CBS FOR CANCELING COLBERT'S SHOW, CALLS IT 'PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE' FOR CORPORATE MERGER Fox News Channel's "Gutfeld!" is the most-watched late-night program on television and has outdrawn Colbert for 21 straight months among total viewers and 13 months in a row among the advertiser-coveted demographic of adults aged 25-54. In 2025, "Gutfeld!" averaged 3.1 million viewers through July 20, compared to 1.9 million for CBS' outgoing "Late Show." During that same time period, ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" averaged 1.5 million, NBC's "The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon" averaged 1.1 million, and NBC's "Late Night with Seth Meyers" managed 751,000.
CNA
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
Chinese authorities warn comedians against provoking 'gender opposition'
BEIJING: Chinese officials have warned comedians against stirring up gender discord, instructing those who invoke a battle of the sexes to criticise constructively rather than "for the sake of being funny". The WeChat article posted over the weekend by authorities in eastern Zhejiang province comes after a comedian detailed her abusive marriage in a performance that went viral on Chinese social media. Women's rights are sensitive territory in China - over the last decade, authorities have cracked down on almost every form of independent feminist activism. Zhejiang's publicity department chastised some comedy shows for becoming a "battlefield" and simplifying gender issues into "opposition between men and women". "Criticism is obviously fine, but it should be ... constructive rather than revolve around gender opposition for the sake of being funny," Sunday's WeChat article read. The department also offered comedians tips on how to discuss gender in their sets. "Instead of mocking 'blindly confident men' it is better to explore the social causes for this mentality", it suggested. "Instead of blindly ridiculing 'materialistic women', it is better to reflect on how consumerism shapes gender roles." The warning did not name a specific comedian, but called out streaming platform iQiyi's "The King of Stand-up Comedy", and mentioned a newcomer dubbed an "industry gem" online. Earlier this month, the show broadcast a performance by Fan Chunli - who goes by the stage name "Fangzhuren" - an affable 50-year-old whose set revolved around her abusive marriage. Members of the audience were moved to tears and many stood to applaud when she revealed she had left her ex-husband. Clips of her set spread across the Chinese internet, earning the former sanitation worker from northern Shandong province legions of new fans. "I hope Fangzhuren's ex-husband hears this and dies of anger," reads the top-liked comment under a clip re-shared by the programme's official Weibo account. "JUST SAYING FACTS" The Chinese arts scene has always been censored by the ruling Communist Party, and authorities have tightened that oversight in the past decade. But Sunday's warning sparked some criticism online. "Just saying the facts of what happened is provoking opposition between men and women?" one top-liked Weibo comment reads. "Once something is discussed from a female perspective it is labelled gender opposition, isn't that too sensitive," reads another. Other women have faced backlash for joking about gender issues in the past. Last year, retail giant dropped its sponsorship of Yang Li, a comedian known for asking why men "look so mediocre yet still have so much self-confidence". Irked customers, mostly men, filled the company's social media with angry comments after Yang appeared at a promotional event. But this month, fans applauded Fangzhuren for telling her story. "The environment changes people, and will prompt women's awakening," she posted on Weibo.
