Jay Leno Laments ‘One-Sided’ Late-Night Shows: ‘Everyone Has to Know Your Politics’

Late-night comedy legend Jay Leno said in a new interview that he does not “miss” hosting late-night shows, saying that the overly political left-wing rhetoric was ruining the humor.

“I don’t miss it. You know, everything now is, if people don’t like your politics, they — everyone has to know your politics,” Jay Leno told the Today show. “When people see you as one-sided, it just makes it tough.”

“And plus, I did it when, you know, Clinton was horny and Bush was dumb, and it was just a little easier,” he continued.

“Now it’s all very serious. I’d just like to see a bit of civility come back to it, you know?” he added. “Because, you know, the theory when we did the show was you just watch the news, we’ll make fun of the news, and get your mind off the news. Well, now people just want to be on the news all the time. You just have one subject that’s the same topic every night, which makes it – makes it very hard. I mean, all the comics, Jimmy and Colbert and everybody else, it’s tough when that’s the only topic out there.”
President Donald Trump noticed Leno’s comments, responding, “Actually, the one-sided hatred on these shows is incredible and for me, unwatchable. But remember, WE are number one – President!”

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1105789414565908480

Leno has made comments like this before. In 2018, the former NBC host said that late-night shows under Trump had become “depressing.”

“Now it’s all anti-women, anti-LGBT, anti-Muslim, anti-Mexican, anti-Salvadoran; it’s such a negative thing,” he said. “God bless all the late-night hosts, they make it funny, but ultimately, it’s depressing. You don’t really watch late-night TV to get away from reality anymore; now it’s more in your face.”

However, the 68-year old is not a fan of the president. Before the 2016 election, he joked that Trump would be a better negotiator if he got beaten up.

“I think this is the problem with Donald Trump,” he said.

“I don’t think anybody has just ever beaten the crap out of him, so he has this attitude of ‘whatever.’ When you have the crap beat out of you, you learn how to negotiate, you learn how to deal with people.”