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Jay Leno reflected on why he always kept his jokes politically balanced while hosting “The Tonight Show” for over two decades.
The 75-year-old comedian recently sat down for an interview with David Trulio, the president and CEO of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, during which he was questioned about his approach to political humor.
“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.
“It was fun to me when I got hate letters [like] ‘Dear Mr. Leno, you and your Republican friends’ and ‘Well, Mr. Leno, I hope you and your Democratic buddies are happy’ — over the same joke,” Leno recalled.
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Jay Leno explained why he poked fun at both the left and the right when joking about politics during his tenure hosting “The Tonight Show.” (Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)
‘And I go, ’Well, that’s good,'” he said. “That’s how you get a whole audience.”
Leno went on to note how late-night comedy has changed amid the current divisive political landscape.
“Now you have to be content with half the audience because you have [to] give your opinion,” Leno said.
When Trulio asked if Leno had any advice for comedians today, the “Jay Leno’s Garage” host referred to his longtime friendship with late comedy legend Rodney Dangerfield.
“I knew Rodney 40 years,” he said. “I have no idea if he was Democrat or Republican. We never discussed [it], we just discussed jokes.”
Leno said he never knew if his friend of 40 years, Rodney Dangerfield, was a Republican or Democrat. (Vince Bucci/Getty Images)
“And to me, I like to think that people come to a comedy show to kind of get away from the things, you know, the pressures of life, whatever it might be,” Leno continued. “And I love political humor, don’t get me wrong, but it’s just what happens when people wind up cozying too much to one side or the other.”
While speaking with Trulio, Leno discussed how comedy could be used to create common ground.
“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.”
Leno noted how today’s late-night show hosts are losing “half the audience” by falling into the divisive political atmosphere. (Donald Kravitz)
Trulio pointed out that both Leno and Dangerfield achieved massive success during their careers, noting the two’s “approach worked in the marketplace.”
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“Well, why shoot for just half an audience all the time? You know, why not try to get the whole [audience],” Leno replied.
“I mean, I like to bring people into the big picture,” he explained. “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.”
Leno’s comments come amid CBS’ announcement on July 17 that it was canceling “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” (Stacie McChesney/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)
Leno’s comments come amid the uproar that ensued after CBS announced on July 17 that it was canceling “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” with the show’s final episode scheduled to air in May 2026.
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At the time, the network clarified 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.”
Weeks ahead of the cancellation, CBS and Paramount paid President Donald Trump a $16 million settlement following his lawsuit against the news network for airing an edited interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of the 2024 election.
While the network stated that the cancellation was a financial decision, Colbert’s supporters have claimed that it was politically motivated. (Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images)
Colbert, who frequently blasts Trump on his show, criticized the settlement and described it as a “big fat bribe” during an episode that aired days before the cancellation was announced.
The host’s supporters, including several politicians, have accused CBS and Paramount of canceling “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” for political reasons.
Trump celebrated the news of the cancellation in a post on his platform Truth Social, which drew a fiery response from Colbert, who told the president “Go f— yourself” during the opening monologue of his show on Monday.
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Several fellow late night show hosts and comedians have rallied around Colbert. “The Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon and “Late Night” host Seth Meyers, “Last Week Tonight” host John Oliver and “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart attended Colbert’s taping on Monday in a show of support. Stewart and Oliver previously worked alongside Colbert on “The Daily Show.”
On Friday, “The Late Show” creator David Letterman slammed CBS’ decision to cancel the long-running show as “pure cowardice” and asserted that the network mistreated Colbert, who succeeded him as host in 2015.
Fox News Digital’s Gabriel Hays contributed to this report.