Christian Toto | Contributor
Late night comedians pounced on the Mueller report with predictable results.
They either shredded Attorney General Bill Barr or claimed President Donald Trump was still guilty of something. No one cracked wise about the Democrats who screamed “collusion,” without evidence, for the past two years.
Late night TV is awash in liberal voices, and has been this way for some time now. Is there room for at least one right-leaning show?
Comedian Andrew Heaton says the Age of Trump complicates what such a show might look like. An unabashedly pro-Trump program puts comedy in a tight spot, says Heaton, host of the “Somethings Off with Andrew Heaton” podcast on Blaze Media. (RELATED: Colbert Says Trump Only Has Himself To Blame For Russian Collusion Conspiracy Theory)
“Hey, isnt the guy in power awesome” isnt a natural spot for comedians, Heaton explains. Comics work better “as the outsider, shouting at the top.” A conservative host could seize and/or pounce on todays pearl-clutching woke culture, though.
BEVERLY HILLS, CA – AUGUST 10: Host, executive producer, writer Stephen Colbert speaks onstage during the The Late Show with Stephen Colbert panel discussion at the CBS portion of the 2015 Summer TCA Tour at The Beverly Hilton Hotel. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
“I havent seen a whole lot of that in the late-night scene,” he says, adding its far more common on social media. “Thats a giant target.”
A certain neophyte congresswoman also could hand-deliver jokes to a red state-friendly host.
“[Rep.] Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has a lot of moral certitude with a lot of weak policy proposals,” he says.
Stephen Stambough, professor of political science at Cal State University, Fullerton, says Hollywood might fear repeating past mistakes. Dennis Millers reign as a late-night talker proved brief in the 1990s, and Fox News later attempt at a late-night comedy show, “The Half Hour News Hour,” similarly failed to draw large numbers.
“Producers arent going to put money into trying it again. Its a real risk,” Stambough says.
Stambough adds the late-night arena might attract liberals much like talk radio draws conservative hosts.
“It may just be that conservatives flock to one medium and liberals another. Its the market,” he says.
Conservative comic Evan Sayet begs to differ, saying its “ludicrous” no right-leaning show exists at the moment.
“If America is as evenly divided as all evidence suggests, then half of America is completely underserved in the entertainment industry in general and the late-night arena in particular,” says Sayet, author of the new faux childrens book “Apocali Now!” “One show drawing the entirety of half of the population is a no-brainer.”
Any right-friendly show could struggle to book guests initially, he cautions. Still, if it draws a sizable crowd even left-leaning talent would drop by “out of necessity” to promote their projects.
That doesnt pave the way for a new conservative show, though.
“The biggest obstacle to the creation of a right-of-center late night talk show isnt the business model or the ability to draw talent,” Sayet says. “Its the uber-rich gate-keepers — the heads of the studios and the networks who simply dont want to … put up with the harassment they and their loved ones would receive in the ultra-Leftist Hollywood communities in which they live and socialize.”
Former “Tonight Show” producer Dave Berg confirms Sayets observations. Showbusiness executives pledge allegiance to the same progressive principles as the current late night hosts, says Berg, author of “Behind the Curtain: An Insiders View of Jay Lenos Tonight Show.” (RELATED: Kimmel Aims Jokes At CNN After Mueller Collusion Dud)
The next conservative joke you hear, Berg predicts, wont come from any late night comic.
“The gap in humor for conservatives and fair-minded peopled is already being filled by the likes of radio hosts in cities throughout the country whose only agenda is the punchline, not the self-righteous sermon,” Berg says. “Rush Limbaugh understands that he is primarily in the entertainment business, and much of his appeal comes from his sarcastic barbs at the Democrats.”
That could mean a late-night show is superfluous for conservatives already feasting on existing content.
“Yes, there is a place for a conservative late-night host, but dont be surprised if conservatives dont come running to watch,” Berg says. “They already have plenty of other places to go.”
Any new show wouldnt have to draw Carson-sized numbers, though. And that matters given the current fractured landscape, says Widener URead More – Source
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