Jay Leno just delivered a masterclass in common sense — and late-night TV would do well to listen.
In a recent interview with Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation CEO David Trulio, the 75-year-old comedy legend explained why he never leaned too hard into partisan politics during his 22-year reign on The Tonight Show. His reasoning? Pretty simple: Why cut your audience in half on purpose?
“Why shoot for just half an audience all the time? You know, why not try to get the whole?” Leno asked. “I don’t understand why you would alienate one particular group … I’m not saying you have to throw your support or whatever, but just do what’s funny.”
It’s a sharp rebuke of the current late-night landscape, where hosts like Stephen Colbert have turned their platforms into left-leaning echo chambers. And the timing is interesting — Leno’s comments came on the heels of CBS announcing that it’s pulling the plug on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert entirely, ending its run in May 2026.
The official CBS line? Colbert’s axing was “purely a financial decision” and had nothing to do with content. But the timing raised eyebrows: the decision came just days after CBS’ parent company, Paramount, agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit brought by Donald Trump over 60 Minutes’ alleged editing of an interview with Kamala Harris. Colbert even mocked the settlement on air, calling it a “big fat bribe.” You don’t have to be a conspiracy theorist to connect those dots.
For Leno, though, the bigger issue isn’t just Colbert — it’s the entire late-night culture of playing to one side. “Funny is funny,” he said, recalling how he used to get hate mail from both Republicans and Democrats over the same joke. That’s balance. That’s how you keep the room laughing, not just one political tribe.
“I like to think that people come to a comedy show to kind of get away from the pressures of life,” Leno added. “And I love political humor, don’t get me wrong, but … you have to be content with half the audience because you have [to] give your opinion.”
It’s hard to argue with the results. Leno dominated late-night for decades by mocking everyone — not just conservatives or liberals — while today’s hosts are content to play applause-line politics for a fraction of the audience.
As for Colbert, his peers are circling the wagons. David Letterman called CBS’ decision “pure cowardice,” and Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Jon Stewart, and John Oliver all showed up to support him at Monday’s taping. But solidarity from fellow hosts won’t change the fact that Leno’s right: late-night stopped being a comedy escape and became just another political monologue.
