John Oliver wasn’t having it with former “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno after he recently argued that comedy has gotten too political and questioned comics who “shoot for just half an audience all the time.”
The “Last Week Tonight” host — in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published Tuesday — was asked about his success with “having a point of view” on his show before addressing Leno, who has suggested that comics should focus on the “whole” audience, rather than alienating some of them.
“I’m going to take a hard pass on taking comedic advice from Jay Leno,” Oliver said.
Oliver’s remarks arrive over six years after he ripped Leno’s calls for a return to a bit more “civility” in late night TV, advising “The Tonight Show” host to “go fuck” himself and highlighting his history of relentless jokes aimed at Monica Lewinsky (Leno has since declined that he targeted her on his program).
Oliver, when asked whether late-night shows should “still try to be for everyone,” explained why comedy “can’t be for everyone.”
“Who thinks that way? Executives?” he asked.
“It’s inherently subjective. So, yeah, when you do stand-up, some people try to play to a broader audience, which is completely legitimate. Others decide not to, which is equally legitimate. I guess I don’t think it’s a question of what you should do because I don’t think comedy is prescriptive in that way. It’s just what people want.”
Oliver’s comments come weeks after CBS canceled “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” a move that critics have speculated was done for political reasons (the network has claimed that it was “purely a financial decision,” with subsequent reports indicating the show was facing financial challenges).
In the time since the decision, Colbert has yet to back off from criticizing President Donald Trump while Oliver — along with other late-night hosts — have shown their support for him.
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Oliver told THR that his show, which is set to air on HBO through 2026, “clearly comes from a point of view,” although he stressed that most of the “long stories” covered on the program aren’t party-adjacent.
“They’re about systemic issues,” said Oliver, who added that recent episodes have covered gang databases, “AI slop,” juvenile justice and air traffic control.
“I’m not saying that these don’t have a point of view in them. Of course they do,” he said. But I hope a lot of them actually reach across people’s political persuasions. You want people to at least be able to agree on the problem, even if you disagree on what the solution to it is.”
