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Jimmy Fallon can finally breathe easy because Jay Leno says he wouldnt want to hostThe Tonight Showever again.
Then two days later, he was onThe Tonight Showdoing a monologue.
So maybe Fallon does have reason to worry.
Leno truly checked every box on the Old Man Yells at Cloud checklist.
(Remember Sears?)
But when it comes to how political late night has gotten, hes not entirely wrong.
The game has changed significantly since Lenos (first) tenure.
I kind of used Johnnys model.
And I would get hate mail from both sides equally.
Nor will I note thatTrump tweeted basically this same sentiment Thursday.
Instead, I will agree with Leno that you cant play it like Carson anymore.
Being apolitical is a bad look for 2019.
Hosts like Stephen Colbert or Seth Meyers were explicitly hired for their political takes.
Centrism is not popular right now just ask Nancy Pelosi.
Im not saying Trevor Noah is a both-sides-ist, but he loves engaging in dialogue.
But nowadays when you piss off both sides, you get death threats from both sides.
This clip from Noah illustrates how late night has changed both in content and in form.
Not only is one inundated with death threats today, but one has to produce so much auxiliary content.
Noah has been doing Q&As with his audience in between takes for a while now.
Noah said as much at his SXSW panel, posted to you guessed it!
The Daily Shows YouTube channel.
Busy Philipps did a SXSW show, and she brought pigs.
Can you imagine Jay Leno at SXSW?
EvenThe Tonight Showbolsters its online engagement withsocial-media challenges that even@midnightwouldnt touch.
But people are still horny and dumb.
We just know more about their circumstances.
Hugh Grants, for instance.
But for Robert Kraft, it was less than optimal.
You cant have fun with dick jokes anymore, because women are people?
The Jay Lenos the hosts that want to appeal to everyone are caught in an unwinnable game.
And any opinion these late-night hosts project will piss viewers off.
If I were Jay Leno, Id stick to talking about cholesterol, too.
