Why the late night guest host idea isn’t that simple

A summer filled with vacations and breaks had fans calling for guests hosts in late night but it’s not that easy.

Summer is nearing an end and with it, an end to vacations and time off for most of us. That should also include late night television hosts. It is welcomed news for many fans especially those left wondering why so many repeat episodes aired this summer.

Since about June, there have been periods when Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, Conan O’Brien and others were not seen on a regular basis. Whether it was for the Fourth of July or just a random week in August, reruns were quite common across the late night landscape.

Social media and comment sections became littered with feedback from fans wondering why entire weeks of shows had to be shut down for a host’s vacation. Many recalled that Johnny Carson often had a guest host fill in during his absences from The Tonight Show.

It sounds like an easy solution and one that could certainly bring extra attention to an otherwise ordinary episode. But it isn’t that simple.

For one, late night hosts aren’t required to produce a show for every single workday in the year. There is already built in time off just like any other job. There are 260 weekdays in a year but shows like The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert rarely go over 200 episodes per year. Fans should expect to see these hosts taking time off.

So why not ask someone to fill in for some of those days? Because that would mean the hundreds of other employees working on the show would not get a break. Bringing in someone to replace Trevor Noah for a week doesn’t mean The Daily Show‘s writers, crew, and staff don’t need to show up, either. If anything, they likely need to work harder to accommodate someone unfamiliar with how the machine of a late night show operates.

And even on those days that there is no new episode of your favorite late night show, that does not necessarily mean that nobody is working. Stints of repeat episodes can give a host like Conan O’Brien time to develop and produce remote pieces, pre-recorded interviews or bits, or specials.

All this isn’t to say that a guest host scenario hasn’t happened in the recent history of late night. We saw John Oliver get a chance to host The Daily Show for Jon Stewart. Jimmy Kimmel Live! has featured a handful of guests hosts in the past few years with mixed results. Chris Pratt, Kristen Bell, and Jennifer Lawrence have all stepped in for Jimmy Kimmel.

However, these guest spots weren’t so that Kimmel could enjoy a vacation. Two weeks of guest hosts were used so that Kimmel could be with his family during his son’s two heart surgeries. An unexpected absence or family emergency is certainly a situation in which a guest host can be called upon in order for the show to go on as planned.

There is also the logistically issue of finding a celebrity willing to take on the job especially if it is coming in the middle of the summer. It’s not exactly easy to deliver a monologue, entertain a crowd, and interview someone who may or may not be all that interesting. The field of candidates is limited, not accounting for those busy during the summer promoting their own projects or taking their own time away.

Labor Day should mark the last day where a majority of late night airs a repeat episode. The rest of the week will feature new content that is sure to satisfy fans eager to see their favorite hosts and shows. The fall months are some of the most important of the year for television networks. That means that late night will be ready to deliver. Fans should be happy that shows are plenty rested and ready to get going.