Jay Leno slams partisan politics in late-night comedy: ‘Why shoot for just half an audience?’

Former Tonight Show host Jay Leno criticized modern late-night comedy for its increasing political partisanship, arguing that the shift has alienated half the potential audience.

In an interview with David Trulio, president and CEO of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, the 75-year-old comedian reflected on his approach to political humor during his multi-decade run as host of The Tonight Show.

"I read that there was an analysis done of your work on ‘The Tonight Show’ for the 22 years and that your jokes were roughly equally balanced between going after Republicans and taking aim at Democrats. Did you have a strategy?" Trulio asked.

"It was fun to me when I got hate letters [like] ‘Dear Mr. Leno, you and your Republican friends’ and ‘Well, Mr. Leno, I hope you and your Democratic buddies are happy' — over the same joke," Leno replied. 

"And I go, ’Well, that's good,’" he said. "That's how you get a whole audience."

Leno remarked that today’s landscape forces comedians to “be content with half the audience because you have [to] give your opinion.” When asked about advice he would give to current comedians, Leno pointed to his friend and comedy icon, Rodney Dangerfield.

"I knew Rodney 40 years," Leno said. "I have no idea if he was Democrat or Republican. We never discussed [it], we just discussed jokes."

"And to me, I like to think that people come to a comedy show to kind of get away from the things, you know, the pressures of life, whatever it might be," he added. "And I love political humor, don't get me wrong, but it's just what happens when people wind up cozying too much to one side or the other."

"Funny is funny," Leno continued. "It's funny when someone who's not….when you make fun of their side and they laugh at it, you know, that's kind of what I do." 

Leno added that audience members do not want to hear a “lecture” from comedians. 

“When I was with Rodney, it was always in the economy of words — get to the joke as quickly as possible,” he recalled.

Trulio noted that Leno and Dangerfield’s style “worked in the marketplace.” Leno agreed and said, "Well, why shoot for just half an audience all the time? You know, why not try to get the whole [audience]?”

"I mean, I like to bring people into the big picture," he explained. "I don't understand why you would alienate one particular group, you know, or just don't do it at all. I'm not saying you have to throw your support or whatever, but just do what's funny."

Leno’s comments come shortly after CBS announced it will cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, ending its run in May 2026. While CBS described the decision as financial, with reports indicating the show has lost up to $50 million annually, Colbert has drawn criticism for the overtly left-leaning political tone of his comedy.