The upcoming finale of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert has raised a fair amount of questions regarding the overall future of late-night television. On Monday night, the genre's biggest stars gathered in once place and made a passionate case for why such shows deserve to stay on the air.
Monday night's episode of The Late Show featured a reunion of the Strike Force Five podcast
with fellow hosts Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver. While the interview featured plenty of jokes and reminiscing, the hosts also directly addressed growing questions about whether traditional late-night television can, or should, survive in the current era.
Kimmel argued that the format remains far healthier than critics suggest, even if viewing habits have changed dramatically since the days of Johnny Carson dominating the medium. The ABC host has famously had his ratings called into question by President Donald Trump over the years.
“I would say I look at the figures and the fact of the matter is more people are watching late-night television now,” Kimmel said. “I know everybody gets crazy when Johnny Carson — obviously Johnny Carson had a lot of people watching one show. But we have a lot of shows.”
Kimmel pointed to YouTube and digital viewing as evidence that audiences still want late-night comedy, even if they no longer consume it in the same way. Late-night monologues frequently go viral, especially when attacked by critics or when gaining attention for pushing the envelope.
Whereas Kimmel sounded defensive and borderline offended that anyone even has to defend late-night, Fallon took a more sentimental approach. The Tonight Show host struck a different tone, framing late-night as something deeply woven into American culture and nightly routines.
“Late-night has been around our whole lives. It’s part of our lives,” Fallon said. The comedian went on to reflect on how late-night programming is part of a nightly routine for so many Americans. His response also highlighted his personal approach to the job, saying that people want to have a laugh and go to bed happy after watching late-night.
Colbert’s show is now in its final weeks, while the late-night landscape overall has shrunk considerably in recent years amid budget cuts, changing viewing habits, and network uncertainty. Shows like Conan, The Late Late Show, and After Midnight are already gone, and Jimmy Kimmel Live! seems to be constantly at risk of getting taken off the air.
Even as the business around late-night continues to evolve, the hosts themselves made clear Monday night that they still believe there’s an audience looking for what they deliver. To Kimmel's point, there is something for everyone in late-night right now, from Late Night with Seth Meyers to Gutfeld!.
So while the loss of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will sting, it doesn't necessarily signal the complete end of late-night TV. The format may change, but it's hard to imagine late-night completely dropping out of everyday life.
Add us as a preferred source on Google