Should Jimmy Fallon Be a Political Commentator?
The New State of Late Night
When I was a kid, I remember staying up past my bedtime to watch Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show and, occasionally, I’d catch Letterman after that. I would beg my parents to stay up and, remarkably, sometimes they’d let me. The next day I would recite the best jokes from the monologues and tell the kids at school about Letterman’s stupid pet tricks. A love for late night comedy has been in my blood for a long time.
So I’ve been interested to watch the changes in late night over the past few years. There are a few big trends in late night comedy:
1. Increasing Emphasis on Viral Content:
All video is moving online and the late shows are evolving to deal with it. They are increasingly creating skits and gags beyond traditional host-guest interviews that are easily shared on YouTube. All the shows do this. Kimmel has celebrities read mean tweets. Colbert plays characters. But Jimmy Fallon turned the viral bit into an art form with his guest musical challenges, lip sync battles, and mini-game shows like Egg Russian Roulette. As one critic put it, “Isn’t it funny how Jimmy Fallon slowly turned The Tonight Show into a children’s birthday party?”
2. Rapid Proliferation of “Relevant” Shows:
When I was growing up, there was only Carson and Letterman. After primetime and the evening news you were either watching comedy or you were watching Ted Koppel. Now, because of the viral nature of video, you’re equally able to watch hot clips from Fallon, Kimmel, Colbert, Conan, Seth Meyers, James Corden, Samantha Bee, Trevor Noah, or John Oliver. All of these shows are relevant and reference-able with the expectation that you know what they are.
3. Intensifying Focus on Political Satire and Commentary:
The late night genre was built on comedy + celebrity promotion + music. The shows were on broadcast TV so they were never all that controversial or pointed in their humor. Even when Carson touched on politics, his comedy was gentle. This clip, of Carson as Reagan doing a “who’s on first” routine with Jim Baker is still hilarious, but feels out of date for not being more biting.
Over the past few years, and especially in the past 12 months, our expectations of comedy began to change. It started with Jon Stewart’s Daily Show and the following he gained for moving beyond “just jokes” to sharing his own political commentary. Emily Nussbaum described the dynamic in her New Yorker column:
For liberals, Comedy Central, with its stars Stewart and Colbert, provided an antidote to Fox — but also a news source in itself. As news anchors aped comics, and comics fact-checked anchors, the categories of who was the serious one, the moral one, the self-righteous one — and who should be tweaked for self-righteousness — blurred for good. This was true even before the Internet became a factor, muddying further the question of what qualified as satire and what was “fake news.”
When Colbert took Letterman’s spot, he initially floundered but he “found his elusive groove” after the presidential election, when he returned to some of his Comedy Central roots and got more political, more biting in his comedy. Samantha Bee, Seth Meyers, Trevor Noah, and John Oliver have all benefitted in the ratings for pushing a (generally left-leaning) point of view.
A year ago, Jimmy Fallon was winning the late night ratings wars in a landslide, but he’s since been overtaken by Colbert. The accepted wisdom in the business is that Fallon began faltering because his playful, boyish fun-centered style didn’t fit with the seriousness of our political moment. He had Trump on his show, and didn’t ask a single tough question. The appearance was most famous for the fact that Fallon messed up Trump’s hairdo.
The Atlantic scorched Fallon for this, calling it an embarrassment:
Fallon has consistently declined to do that [put out his point of view], and he may well think that’s contributed to his general popularity as a host. But it also contributes to embarrassments like his Thursday night Trump interview. Comedians are, after all, personalities first and foremost: Great hosts of the late-night genre like David Letterman and Jon Stewart were joke-tellers and interviewers, who couldn’t help but bring their opinions with them no matter who they were talking to. As Fallon laughed uproariously at Trump’s every line and asked about his hobbies, hopes, and dreams, it was hard not to feel like he’d missed an opportunity to distinguish himself as more than just a genial entertainer hobnobbing with the potential next president of the United States of America.
I understand this perspective. These are serious times. The current president’s leadership is already having a major impact on our national culture and may have big ramifications on our national security. Pure escapist entertainment feels somewhat irresponsible. No one wants to be accused of fiddling while Rome burns.
On the other hand, do you really expect Jimmy Fallon to be the one to hold the president accountable with hard-hitting questions and sharp political commentary?
Jimmy Fallon, the guy who I would argue is at his best in his recurring role in the Point Pleasant Police Department? The guy who makes these beautiful little silly moments of song using classroom instruments? He couldn’t keep a straight face on SNL, do we really expect him to play role of Sam Donaldson with the leader of the free world ? I don’t see it. And I don’t think I want to see it. I’d miss the fun.
Saturday Night Live is another case study. The best one-liner about the current state of the show, came from a Vulture headline from a few months ago: “SNL Has Never Been More Popular and Less Fun.” It’s normal for the show to increase it’s focus on politics during an election year, but with Trump’s presidency, the focus hasn’t relaxed since November. And that is tiring. As Jesse David Fox puts it, “Though many of the writers and cast members believe in speaking truth to power, for the most part, that is not why they got into comedy.”
Because SNL’s sketches have turned so topical and political, they have felt like required viewing. Even the president seems to make SNL must-see-TV, often tweeting about the latest episode. Again, Fox describes it:
“SNL is my favorite show to watch and follow, but these days it feels like catching up on your homework before school on Monday.”
There have always been two ways to deal with serious issues: you can deal with them seriously and soberly, or you can laugh at them. This is as true for societies as it is for individuals. In the end, you need to practice a mix of both. If you are always just laughing off serious problems you are a fool. On the other hand, if you turn everything issue into an opportunity for moralistic sermonizing, you’re going to annoy people and you’ll probably crack under the stress.
Comedy gives us two gifts. On the one hand it can allow us to tell truths in indirect ways that we might not be comfortable telling in other ways. On the other hand it allows us to pop the pressure balloon every now and then and let out a little stress. One use of comedy isn’t inherently better than the other. They both have their place. They are both gifts. I don’t think we want to see Jimmy Fallon “getting tough” any more than we want to see Stephen Colbert “getting soft.” They are bearers of different gifts.
Recommended Reading
1. How Stephen Colbert Finally Found His Elusive Groove
The story of how Colbert got back to being himself, thanks in part to Donald Trump. by John Koblin in The New York Times (15 min)
2. Wanting More From Stephen Colbert’s Late Show
“Some nights he’s a marksman, nailing the day’s hypocrisies. But, in 2017, a talk-show host famed for his ethical clarity should deliver something tougher.” by Emily Nussbaum in The New Yorker (8 min)
3. The Embarrassment of Jimmy Fallon
The fallout of softball interview with Trump by David Sims in The Atlantic (8 min)
4. David Letterman on Life After TV, Late Night Today, and the Man He Calls Trumpy
What Dave is up to these days, and how he’d interview Trump. by David Marchese in Vulture (39 min)
5. The Talk Show That Time Forgot
“Six years and a generation of late-night hosts later, Conan is still just trying to impress Johnny Carson.” by Rob Harvilla in The Ringer (9 min)
6. SNL Has Never Been More Popular and Less Fun
Smart commentary. The title says it all, but the details are good. by Jesse David Fox in Vulture (10 min)
Recommended Viewing
Here are some of my favorite clips from the past few months — some are hilarious, some are serious. All are worth watching.
Conan O’Brien
Conan gives some on-the-job feedback to an employee who arrives late to work. This is pure silliness. So funny.
Jimmy Fallon hosts SNL — Take Me Back Sketch
This skit has one of the best punchlines I’ve seen in years.
Jimmy Kimmel
Kimmel has a bit where he slows down clips of Trump to half-speed, calling it Drunk Donald Trump. This is him with the New England Patriots at the White House.
Stephen Colbert
This is a clip of Colbert’s off-script sign-off on election night, the moment some point to as the turning point in his approach to becoming more pointedly political.
Read widely. Watch wisely.
Max
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