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Jay Leno revisited his two-decade tenure on The Tonight Show in a candid conversation with David Trulio, President & CEO of the Reagan Foundation, explaining why he consistently avoided political humour. “I like to think that people come to a comedy show to kind of get away from the things, the pressures of life, whatever it might be,” Leno said, adding, “I love political humour, don’t get me wrong, but what happens is people wind up cozying too much to one side or the other.”
Leno was known for walking a fine line between humour and neutrality during his run from 1992 to 2009 (and again briefly from 2010 to 2014). He told Trulio that his strategy was simple: appeal to everyone. “Why shoot for just half an audience? Why not try to get the whole?”
“I don’t understand why you would alienate one particular group,” he said. “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.”
According to Fox News, Leno recalled receiving conflicting hate mail over the same jokes, with one viewer accusing him of siding with Republicans, and another calling him a Democratic sympathiser. “And I go, ‘Well, that’s good.’ That’s how you get a whole audience,” he said.
‘Stick to what’s funny’
Leno’s philosophy on comedy is simple. “Funny is funny,” he told Trulio. “I don’t think anybody wants to hear a lecture.”
He drew a contrast with the current political climate in comedy, where many late-night hosts have embraced explicit political opinions. “Now you have to be content with half the audience because you have to give your opinion,” Leno noted.
He pointed to his long friendship with fellow comedian Rodney Dangerfield as a model for apolitical comedy. “I knew Rodney 40 years,” Leno said. “I have no idea if he was Democrat or Republican. We never discussed, we just discussed jokes.”
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The interview comes just before CBS announced the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. As reported by CNN and Fox News, the network cited financial constraints, but the decision drew speculation about political motives, given Colbert’s consistent criticism of Donald Trump.
Weeks before the announcement, CBS and its parent company Paramount paid Trump $16 million in a settlement related to a 60 Minutes segment. Colbert had openly criticised the deal, calling it a “big fat bribe” on-air.
The show is now set to end in May 2026.
(With inputs from CNN, Fox News)
