Jay Leno's Harsh Evaluation of Late Night Hosts Was Not a Response to Colbert’s Cancellation

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Two weeks before CBS dropped the bombshell that The Late Show with Stephen Colbertwas being cancelled next year, former late-night legend Jay Leno weighed in on just how political various talk shows should get, in his opinion. Speaking to an interview with the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, Leno said: "I like to think that people come to a comedy show to get away from the pressures of life. I love political humor — don’t get me wrong. But people wind up cozying too much to one side or the other," according toThe Hollywood Reporter.

Leno's Take on political humor, in context

While these quotes have suddenly been circulated amid the controversy over Colbert's cancellation, it is relevant to note that Leno was not responding to that controversy. Instead, it appears he was offering his views on whether or not late-night comedy should be overly partisan, well before the Colbert news broke. THRnotes that the interview was "taped at least two weeks ago," but was posted very recently.

"I don’t think anybody wants to hear a lecture," Leno said in the same interview. "Why shoot for just half an audience? Why not try to get the whole? I like to bring people into the big picture."

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Some of his comments seemed to be focused on a time that many viewers may not even remember. "Rodney Dangerfield and I were friends," Leno said, referencing a beloved comedian of the 1960s and 1980s. "I knew Rodney 40 years, and I have no idea if he was a Democrat or [a} Republican. We never discussed politics, we just discussed jokes."

Related: CBS Just Canceled 'The Late Show' Forever. But Can You Still Stream Old Episodes?

The fate of Colbert

After CBS announced it was cancelling Colbert for "financial" reasons, many fans and politicians questioned whether or not the cancellation was designed to appease the Trump administration.

It should be noted that Colbert's time on The Late Showwill extend well into next year, with the season concluding sometime in 2026. Where Colbert will end up after that is, for now, unclear.

Related: Jimmy Kimmel's Profane Response to 'Late Show' Cancellation

Jay Leno's Harsh Evaluation of Late Night Hosts Was Not a Response to Colbert’s Cancellation first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 27, 2025