Former “The Tonight Present” host Jay Leno is weighing in on the present state of late-night tv, and he’s not holding again.

Jay Leno’s remarks come at a very tense second within the late-night world, one marked by controversy, cancellation, and company clashes.

In a newly launched interview with Ronald Reagan Presidential Basis president David Trulio, the previous “Tonight Present” host criticized the more and more political tone of contemporary comedy, saying right now’s late-night hosts are isolating half their potential viewers by leaning too closely into partisan commentary.

“I wish to assume that folks come to a comedy present to sort of get away from the issues, the pressures of life, wherever it is perhaps,” Leno stated “And I really like political humor, don’t get me incorrect, however what occurs (is) individuals wind up cozying an excessive amount of to 1 aspect or the opposite.”

“Why shoot for simply half an viewers, why not attempt to get the entire (viewers)?” he requested. “I imply, I wish to carry individuals into the massive image. I don’t perceive why you’ll alienate one explicit group. Or simply don’t do it in any respect. I’m not saying you need to throw your help or no matter, however simply do what’s humorous.”

“Humorous is humorous,” he continued. “I wish to assume that folks come to a comedy present to get away from the pressures of life. I don’t assume anyone desires to listen to a lecture.”

Reflecting on his personal 22-year tenure at NBC, Leno defined that his strategy to comedy was at all times rooted in steadiness.

“I received hate letters saying, ‘You and your Republican associates,’ and one other saying, ‘I hope you and your Democratic buddies are completely satisfied,’ over the identical joke,” he instructed Trulio. “That’s the way you get a complete viewers.”

Leno recalled his longtime friendship with legendary comedian Rodney Dangerfield, declaring that regardless of realizing him for 4 many years, he by no means as soon as knew his political affiliation. “We by no means mentioned politics, we simply mentioned jokes,” he stated.

The late-night legend went on to argue that fashionable comedians are too centered on taking sides. “Now you need to be content material with half the viewers, as a result of you need to give your opinion,” he stated.

Jay Leno then emphasised that whereas political humor has its place, comedy ought to unite moderately than divide. “It’s humorous when somebody who’s not [on your side] laughs on the joke, that’s sort of what I do.”

His remarks come at a time when late-night TV is present process a serious shift, with declining rankings, altering viewer habits, and elevated scrutiny over political bias.

Simply days earlier than Leno’s interview surfaced, “The Late Present with Stephen Colbert” made headlines for a really totally different cause.

A media firestorm erupted after Stephen Colbert took a pointed swipe at CBS’s father or mother firm, Paramount International, throughout an on-air monologue. The comic blasted the community for its $16 million defamation lawsuit settlement with President Donald Trump, sarcastically dubbing it a “huge, fats bribe.”

The fiery second ignited hypothesis, and simply days later, Colbert revealed that “The Late Present” can be ending in Might 2026.