Democratic candidates for president are taking over late night
By Matt Moore
Four presidential hopefuls from the Democratic Party are set to appear on late night shows next week.
Whether you like it or not, the relationship between politics and late night television is undeniable these days. This will be proven once again next week when four candidates vying for the Democratic nomination for president in 2020 come to late night.
Plenty of late night fans don’t approve of such a politics-heavy focus on the shows they watch. The 2016 campaign and subsequent election of President Donald Trump brought in a new era of late night and with it the threat of a so-called “Trump fatigue.”
But a closer look reveals that this isn’t exactly the case. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is by far the most dedicated late night show when it comes to covering all things Trump. And the show has been rewarded by consistently topping the ratings and leaping over the more neutral Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
The newly launched Lights Out with David Spade is attempting to go in the complete opposite direction of The Late Show. David Spade’s show actively avoids politics for a more pop culture/viral focus. In between The Late Show and Lights Out are others like Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Late Night with Seth Meyers.
There will be no avoiding politics for anyone watching late night next week. NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt will be on The Tonight Show and Supreme Court Justice Sona Sotomayor will visit The Late Show with Seth Meyers.
But the real stars of the week will be the four presidential candidates scheduled to be interviewed on two different shows. Here’s the breakdown so you know what to watch…or avoid.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
First up on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will be former Vice President Joe Biden. Biden stops by on Wednesday, Sept. 4.
Biden is the frontrunner for the expansive field of Democratic candidates. He has certainly had some rough moments on the campaign trail and in the debates but that hasn’t hurt his popularity in most polls.
Biden has also received his fair share of ridicule from Stephen Colbert. But the former VP has been on the show before and will no doubt try to win over even more voters.
On Thursday, Sept. 5, Colbert will sit down with South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Buttigieg was on the show just six months ago where he made the case for why a younger president is a good idea.
Buttigieg certainly is one of the more popular candidates to come from the Democratic field but he still trails several of his more experienced competitors. Expect Colbert to question how Buttigieg can make up ground on the rest of the Democrats now that so many voters are familiar with the mayor.
Late Night with Seth Meyers
NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers will feature Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders on Thursday Sept. 5. Sanders may be behind Joe Biden when it comes to Democrats but a number of polls suggest Sanders would beat President Donald Trump in a head-to-head match up.
Sanders has been on Late Night several times dating back to his unsuccessful run for the Democratic nomination in 2016. He’s also been on a number of other late night shows so he should be comfortable across from the very friendly Seth Meyers.
On Friday Sept. 6, Late Night will air a repeat episode from July 23. It features Meyers’ interview with former Representative Beto O’Rourke.
While the episode won’t provide any new information given it is a rerun, it will still be useful to see how O’Rourke’s message has evolved over the past month.
He was a very popular politician around the country during his attempt to unseat Senator Ted Cruz. He ultimately fell short but believed his senate campaign was enough to justify a run for the White House.
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The next Democratic debate is just a couple weeks away. Watching Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Bernie Sanders, and Beto O’Rourke should give late night fans a preview of what to expect. And if politics and late night isn’t your favorite combination, there are still plenty of alternatives all week long. Come back to Last Night On for all the highlights.