Donald Trump's presidency completely changed late-night television when he first took office a decade ago. Hosts suddenly found themselves reaching much larger audiences, and in some cases becoming household names far beyond comedy. However, one former host says he’s glad he was no longer in late-night when President Trump took office.
Appearing on Obsessed: The Podcast, Craig Ferguson reflected on how different his career might have looked had he still been behind the desk during the political circus that followed Trump’s rise to the White House. Looking back, the former Late Late Show said he has often wondered how he would have responded to the moment.
“I don’t know how I would have handled it. I’m glad I didn’t have to, to be honest,” he said. “I’ve thought about it before. It’s kind of impossible to say.”
Ferguson went on to admit that he's not sure he could have navigated through the Trump years. Other hosts, like Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel and Seth Meyers, increasingly leaned into political commentary. It became a defining feature of many shows and helped turn the comedians into some of the most recognizable voices in mainstream media. But it also fueled debate over whether late-night had become too partisan or lost the identity created by predecessors like Johnny Carson and Jay Leno.
But Ferguson has a theory on why his version of the Late Late Show probably would not have followed the trend created during Trump's first term. “I remember saying that at the time, ‘I’m not part of this,’” he recalled. “I used to say on the show, ‘This is not a late-night talk show. I’m not a late-night talk show host.’” With that in mind, Ferguson also suggested he wouldn't have associated so closely with his late-night peers the way they have stuck together through the Trump era.
True, the comedian built a loyal audience by doing things differently. His interviews often went into unexpected places, and his style leaned more on improvisation and absurd humor than on the polished monologue-and-guest structure seen elsewhere in the genre. That looser approach helped set him apart from his peers and gave The Late Late Show a less formulaic vibe. Although The Late Late Show may have started out as a more traditional network talk show, Ferguson believes it eventually became something else.
Since leaving late-night TV in 2014, Ferguson has done several projects that examine American history and identity. However, he has never been overt about his own political views, voting record, or candidate endorsements.
Ferguson remains one of the few modern late-night hosts whose legacy is largely disconnected from the Trump era. Based on his latest comments, that's a category he appears perfectly comfortable to be in.
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