EXCLUSIVE – Actor and comedian Jon Lovitz took aim at the politicization of late-night comedy by denouncing liberal hosts Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel and Seth Meyers in an exclusive interview with FOX News Digital.
Lovitz, who has been a comedy icon for nearly 40 years since his days as a “Saturday Night Live” cast member, was asked about how comedy has changed over the years and brought attention to how polarizing late-night shows have become since the Trump administration -era.
“I do not like it. I don’t like it,” Lovitz said. “They were comedy shows. And now, except for Jimmy Fallon, they’ve all become very political. And for me it’s just too much.”
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“I mean, Johnny Carson made two or three jokes about who was president at the time or what was going on at the time, and that was it. But they were entertainment shows,” he said. “I know all these guys. And they are very nice guys. Very talented. I know Seth. I know Stephen Colbert. I know Jimmy Kimmel. I think she’s funny, you know. But when they started doing the political stuff, so one-sided, it’s like – and that’s it, the whole thing, it’s just that these aren’t the shows I used to be on. You know, it was “The Tonight Show” and David Letterman. “
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Jon Lovitz criticized the politicization of late night in an interview with Fox News Digital (Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for TCM)
Lovitz recalled how his “Late Show” appearances in the Letterman era were actually a “comedy show,” albeit in a talk show format, and how interviews were structured more as a “routine” to keep Letterman there could help “highlight” his guests in advance. of taping. This is in contrast to today.
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“It’s their show. They can do whatever they want. But you ask me if I like it, and I say no,” Lovitz said. “If I want the news, I watch the news. I don’t watch these shows. This is late night entertainment, but everything is political except Jimmy Fallon. And they always get mad at Jimmy. ‘Why, Don?’ “Aren’t you going into politics?” Because he’s making a silly escapist entertainment show.
Liberals turned on Fallon after he conducted a heartfelt interview with then-candidate Donald Trump just weeks before the 2016 presidential election. Fallon, who has welcomed Hillary Clinton to his show twice, invited his former NBC colleague for a similarly friendly conversation that ended with the host ruffling Trump’s hair.
The late-night comedy is failing in the ratings as Colbert, Kimmel and others openly support Democrats and crush Republicans
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Lovitz criticized hosts Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel for scuttling her “political agenda” in recent years. ((Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP))
Anti-Trump critics said the interview humanized Trump and perhaps ultimately helped the Republican nominee on Election Day. In 2018, Fallon apologized, calling it a “mistake.”
While Fallon hasn’t embraced partisanship, his late-night colleagues like Colbert and Kimmel have made it a cornerstone of their programs. Lovitz tells FOX News Digital they prioritize politics over comedy.
“They’re just hammering it to death…they’ve become ‘Here’s my political agenda.’ They’re very open about it,” Lovitz said. “And I think, well, all right. I have no say in that. It’s their show, you know. But I don’t particularly like it – I don’t like that they’ve become like this, because where are the comedians and that?” Stand-up and the scenes, you know, like Letterman. It was a comedy.”
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Comedian JON LOVITZ blasts HBO’s JOHN OLIVER for shaming us over alliance with Israel: ‘God bless America’
Jon Lovitz defended “Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon from critics who accuse him of not being more political. (Andrew Lipovsky/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)
In addition to “SNL,” Lovitz starred in films like “A League of Their Own” and “Rat Race” and appeared in numerous Adam Sandler comedies. More recently, he has appeared regularly on Byron Allen’s comedic game show “Funny You Should Ask” and regularly tours the country as a stand-up artist, including monthly appearances at the Laugh Factory at the Tropicana in Las Vegas.
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In January, Lovitz appeared on The Tonight Show, portraying scandal-plagued Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y.