But in my view, late-night can still matter. Contrary to what some might say, late-night is not “dead,” and it can come back. But if it doesn’t want to fall by the cultural wayside as baseball has, it needs to do what the national pastime hasn’t: adapt and evolve.
When I began teaching Writing for Late Night at Emerson College in 2019, late-night remained formidable. At the start of a semester, I asked how many in class regularly viewed a network late-night talk show. Every student watched at least one; most, two.
This year, only around 30% of my late-night comedy students deemed themselves “regular” viewers of any of these shows. While I admired their honesty, I thought: This isn’t good.
So I asked my students, who make up a portion of late-night’s key demographic of 18-to-34-year-olds, “How would you change late-night?”
Another spin of the news cycle
A few themes emerged.
As one student observed, there is so much rehashing of stories that have already made news, it feels like you’re just watching more news.
Thus came the follow-up question: Why the need to intensely cover top news?
A suggestion from multiple students was to focus more on specific, relatable issues in monologues. I found this interesting, as that was the style of Joan Rivers and Craig Ferguson — two examples of personalities who eschewed rapid-fire topicality in favor of issues affecting everyday people.
Joan Rivers riffs on the frustrations of dealing with customer service representatives, mean parents and her disastrous wedding night.
What is the true entertainment value of six jokes about the debt ceiling? What if, instead of dreary news about gas prices, the economy or COVID-19, the focus were on topics like choosing to work from home, going back to movie theaters or picking a pricey streaming service? What if the deep-dive style John Oliver has mastered for Sunday nights were tailored to those who’ve trudged through Wednesday?
A number of students noted that they sometimes find late-night shows patronizing, with the hosts making misguided assumptions about their generation. They don’t all love the Korean boy band BTS or want to hear celebrities talking about their lavish lives. And they aren’t exactly on board with non-fungible tokens, or NFTs — the digital collectibles that have seen a spike in popularity over the past year.
They were referring to a segment in which Jimmy Fallon interviewed Paris Hilton and compared their respective NFTs. I found the clip fairly innocuous — but I’m no longer part of the target demographic.
Funny or tone-deaf?
In class, it was described as “tone-deaf” — two wealthy people comparing costly purchases of digital cartoons when aspiring writers can barely afford laptops. Some students spoke of feeling alienated by what has come to be known as “celebrity culture.”
I was tempted to push back on this. Big-name guests are draws. But then I thought about Myrtle Young.
Myrtle was a one-time guest of Johnny Carson — an elderly woman from Indiana who collected potato chips that resembled objects and people.
It was awkward and bizarre, but heartwarming and real. Myrtle wasn’t trying to hawk her wares to people who couldn’t afford them; she was simply sharing a funny but entertaining passion.
Myrtle Young appears on a 1987 episode of ‘The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.’
I’m not saying that audiences have to see some version of Myrtle and her chips each night. But do viewers need to see the same actor twice in one month, promoting the same movie they promoted last time they appeared?
About the hosts …
The most common suggestion from my students was that late-night needs more diversity.
A name that came up multiple times was Lilly Singh, a hugely popular YouTube star who has amassed 14.7 million subscribers.
From the outside looking in, it seemed as if those who could help promote and empower Singh on the television side counted on the new host to promote the show herself on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.
But if someone’s already watching something on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, why would they set their DVRs for 1:30 a.m.?
Several students spoke positively of Singh’s show and appreciated that it played to an audience accustomed to viral videos while modernizing late-night norms. Is it possible those in charge of late-night just didn’t “get” Lilly Singh?
And with that, network viewers were left with a menu of five — soon to be four — white guys in suits: Corden, Fallon, Meyers, Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel.
I often wonder how I grew up with Rivers and Arsenio Hall only to see things go backward. I also wonder why the performer I consider the most talented of all current hosts, Amber Ruffin, who is not a white guy in a suit, airs weekly on the streaming platform Peacock rather than nightly on broadcast TV.
I can’t force those in power to make changes. But what I can do is report the views of my students — talented, intelligent writers who hope to hear their own jokes on television one day, but who often struggle to find a show from which to learn.
Conservative comic Greg Gutfeld is dominating ratings not just because he’s cornered one demographic on Fox News, but because of systemic shortcomings on network TV.
Funny or not, Gutfeld knows his audience and wants to win. He cares. Yet the chorus remains some version of, “He’s just a conservative blowhard from Manhattan who’s out of his element, and the sheen will eventually wear off.”
Interesting. The last time the pundits were so arrogantly dismissive, a network television host laughed all the way to the White House.
Jon Rineman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
Jim Carrey calls Hollywood ‘spineless’ for applauding Will Smith after Chris Rock slap
AP Photo/David Phillip, file
Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake were reaching the end of their “Rock Your Body” duet at the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show when he yanked off her bustier, briefly revealing a bare breast with a sunburst nipple protector. The sheer scale of the event, with some 90 million people watching, made it a huge moment. Broadcaster CBS insisted it was as surprised as viewers at home, and it's still murky today whose idea it was. The phrases “wardrobe malfunction” and “nipplegate” joined the lexicon in its wake, a crackdown on television “indecency” was launched, and Jackson's career never fully recovered.
AP Photo/David Phillip, file
Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake were reaching the end of their “Rock Your Body” duet at the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show when he yanked off her bustier, briefly revealing a bare breast with a sunburst nipple protector. The sheer scale of the event, with some 90 million people watching, made it a huge moment. Broadcaster CBS insisted it was as surprised as viewers at home, and it's still murky today whose idea it was. The phrases “wardrobe malfunction” and “nipplegate” joined the lexicon in its wake, a crackdown on television “indecency” was launched, and Jackson's career never fully recovered.
Jim Carrey calls Hollywood ‘spineless’ for applauding Will Smith after Chris Rock slap
AP Photo/Jason DeCrow, file
A 19-year-old Taylor Swift was thrilled to accept a “moon man” trophy at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards when Kanye West stepped on her celebration. Appearing on the Radio City Music Hall stage, he took the microphone and said that while he was happy for Swift, “Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time.” He shrugged and handed the mic back to a clearly crestfallen Swift, left to stand alone as the crowd shrieked in shock. Bad blood between the music megastars lingered.
AP Photo/Jason DeCrow, file
A 19-year-old Taylor Swift was thrilled to accept a “moon man” trophy at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards when Kanye West stepped on her celebration. Appearing on the Radio City Music Hall stage, he took the microphone and said that while he was happy for Swift, “Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time.” He shrugged and handed the mic back to a clearly crestfallen Swift, left to stand alone as the crowd shrieked in shock. Bad blood between the music megastars lingered.
Jim Carrey calls Hollywood ‘spineless’ for applauding Will Smith after Chris Rock slap
Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
When Warren Beatty opened the envelope supposedly containing the name of the best picture winner at the 2017 Oscars, he looked briefly confused before showing it to co-presenter Faye Dunaway, who anointed “La La Land” with the Oscar. Beatty's face was the hint something had gone awry: He'd been given the wrong envelope. After nearly 2 minutes of the wrong cast and producers celebrating onstage, the record was corrected. “Moonlight” had won. The accountants on duty that night lost — they were reassigned.
Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
When Warren Beatty opened the envelope supposedly containing the name of the best picture winner at the 2017 Oscars, he looked briefly confused before showing it to co-presenter Faye Dunaway, who anointed “La La Land” with the Oscar. Beatty's face was the hint something had gone awry: He'd been given the wrong envelope. After nearly 2 minutes of the wrong cast and producers celebrating onstage, the record was corrected. “Moonlight” had won. The accountants on duty that night lost — they were reassigned.
Jim Carrey calls Hollywood ‘spineless’ for applauding Will Smith after Chris Rock slap
AP Photo/Ron Frehm
During rehearsals for her 1992 “Saturday Night Live” performance of the Bob Marley song, “War,” singer Sinead O'Connor had held up a picture of a child killed by police. But during the live show, she held a picture of Pope John Paul II that had hung on her mother's wall, and ripped it, to protest sexual abuse by priests. Condemnation was swift; even Frank Sinatra called her “one stupid broad.” Looking back years later, O'Connor wrote in a memoir, “I feel like having a No. 1 record derailed my career, and my tearing the photo put me back on the right track.”
Shown in photo: Kris Kristofferson comforts O'Connor after she was booed off stage during the Bob Dylan anniversary concert at New York Madison Square Garden, Oct. 17, 1992. The performance was O'Connor's first live event since the SNL appearance.
AP Photo/Ron Frehm
During rehearsals for her 1992 “Saturday Night Live” performance of the Bob Marley song, “War,” singer Sinead O'Connor had held up a picture of a child killed by police. But during the live show, she held a picture of Pope John Paul II that had hung on her mother's wall, and ripped it, to protest sexual abuse by priests. Condemnation was swift; even Frank Sinatra called her “one stupid broad.” Looking back years later, O'Connor wrote in a memoir, “I feel like having a No. 1 record derailed my career, and my tearing the photo put me back on the right track.”
Shown in photo: Kris Kristofferson comforts O'Connor after she was booed off stage during the Bob Dylan anniversary concert at New York Madison Square Garden, Oct. 17, 1992. The performance was O'Connor's first live event since the SNL appearance.
Jim Carrey calls Hollywood ‘spineless’ for applauding Will Smith after Chris Rock slap
AP Photo/Matt Sayles
Bob Dylan was in the midst of a career renaissance, invited to perform his song “Love Sick” at the Grammy Awards in 1998. As he sang, a shirtless man with the words “soy bomb” written on his torso appeared behind in a strangely contorting dance before being hustled off by security. Performance artist Michael Portnoy had been hired to stand in the background but, as he explained to the Hollywood Reporter later, “it was such a perfect format to do something inscrutable.”
In photo: Dylan performs at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 13, 2011, in Los Angeles.
AP Photo/Matt Sayles
Bob Dylan was in the midst of a career renaissance, invited to perform his song “Love Sick” at the Grammy Awards in 1998. As he sang, a shirtless man with the words “soy bomb” written on his torso appeared behind in a strangely contorting dance before being hustled off by security. Performance artist Michael Portnoy had been hired to stand in the background but, as he explained to the Hollywood Reporter later, “it was such a perfect format to do something inscrutable.”
In photo: Dylan performs at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 13, 2011, in Los Angeles.
Jim Carrey calls Hollywood ‘spineless’ for applauding Will Smith after Chris Rock slap
AP Photo/John Locher
It was the climactic moment of the 2015 Miss Universe awards, and host Steve Harvey dramatically announced the winner, Miss Colombia. She stood on the stage for a few minutes and basked in the applause, waving the Colombian flag and blowing kisses. The crown was placed atop her head. Then Harvey sheepishly approached. “I have to apologize,” he said. She was actually the first runner-up. Miss Philippines was the winner. Harvey owned up to the mistake, which made for excruciating television.
AP Photo/John Locher
It was the climactic moment of the 2015 Miss Universe awards, and host Steve Harvey dramatically announced the winner, Miss Colombia. She stood on the stage for a few minutes and basked in the applause, waving the Colombian flag and blowing kisses. The crown was placed atop her head. Then Harvey sheepishly approached. “I have to apologize,” he said. She was actually the first runner-up. Miss Philippines was the winner. Harvey owned up to the mistake, which made for excruciating television.
Jim Carrey calls Hollywood ‘spineless’ for applauding Will Smith after Chris Rock slap
AP Photo, File
Streaking, or running naked in a public place, was a thing in 1974. Ray Stevens even had a hit song about it. So it couldn't have come as a complete surprise when a Los Angeles teacher, Robert Opel, stripped and rain onstage at that year's Oscars ceremony as actor David Niven talked. Opel had supposedly posed as a journalist to get in. There's been some suspicion that it was staged: Opel, who was murdered in a robbery attempt in 1979, appeared backstage later to talk about his stunt. Either way, Niven reacted with poise in quipping: “Isn't it fascinating to think that probably the only laugh that man will ever get in his life is by stripping off and showing his shortcomings?”
AP Photo, File
Streaking, or running naked in a public place, was a thing in 1974. Ray Stevens even had a hit song about it. So it couldn't have come as a complete surprise when a Los Angeles teacher, Robert Opel, stripped and rain onstage at that year's Oscars ceremony as actor David Niven talked. Opel had supposedly posed as a journalist to get in. There's been some suspicion that it was staged: Opel, who was murdered in a robbery attempt in 1979, appeared backstage later to talk about his stunt. Either way, Niven reacted with poise in quipping: “Isn't it fascinating to think that probably the only laugh that man will ever get in his life is by stripping off and showing his shortcomings?”
