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Jay Leno said in an interview released last Wednesday that he continues to face criticism for avoiding partisan comedy, telling the “Unexpired” podcast that performing for politically mixed audiences–including Trump supporters in states like Indiana–means his priority remains getting laughs rather than delivering political commentary.
Leno, who hosted NBC’s “The Tonight Show” for more than two decades, explained why he believes comedians working outside the late-night television environment have to account for audiences with a range of political views.
“I get beat up for this all the time, but as someone who works in the real world, when you go to Indiana, I’m sorry, a third of your audience is going to be Trump people,” Leno said.
Jay Leno said he got “beat up” for avoiding partisan comedy and argued his job was to get laughs without alienating Trump-supporting audiences. (Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)
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Christian Toto, an entertainment journalist, film critic and founder of Hollywood in Toto, told Fox News Digital Wednesday that Leno’s approach reflects what he sees as a divide between touring stand-ups and television hosts who have cultivated more politically defined audiences. Toto founded Hollywood in Toto in 2014 and covers entertainment and culture.
“Late-night hosts don’t care who they alienate in 2026. They’ve chosen an audience. Period. Jimmy Kimmel infamously said of his Republican fans, ‘not good riddance,’ but riddance. That says it all,” Toto said.
Leno told host Kim Alexis that his objective onstage remains entertainment, recalling that he and former “Tonight Show” host Johnny Carson deliberately tried to spread political jokes across party lines rather than consistently targeting one side.
“I mean, Johnny and I used to pride ourselves on making fun of both sides equally. Now I get beaten up for that. But OK, that’s all right,” Leno said.
Christian Toto tells Fox News Digital that late-night hosts have “chosen an audience,” while touring comedians still perform for politically mixed crowds. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images)
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Leno has made similar comments repeatedly in recent years. A few years ago, he said he had stopped putting politics in his stand-up because audiences increasingly wanted to know whether a joke was “for or against” their side before hearing the punchline. In a 2025 interview at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Leno again said he believed political humor worked best when audiences could laugh when their own side became the target.
Kimmel has publicly acknowledged losing some Republican viewers as his show became more politically outspoken. During a 2017 “CBS Sunday Morning” interview, Kimmel was asked whether he minded Republican viewers abandoning the program after his commentary on his healthcare and gun policy.
“Well, not good riddance, but riddance,” Kimmel said.
Leno said he and Johnny Carson had “prided ourselves on making fun of both sides equally,” an approach he said now drew criticism. (Michael Tullberg/Getty Images)
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Toto also pointed to Jimmy Fallon’s 2016 interview with then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, when the “Tonight Show” host tousled Trump’s hair. Fallon later said he regretted not responding more directly to the criticism that followed and denied that the lighthearted segment was intended to “normalize” Trump.
“Jimmy Fallon had a chance to be the new Jay Leno, the apolitical yukster who just wanted to make the country laugh,” Toto said. “Sadly, after he tousled Donald Trump’s hair on ‘The Tonight Show’ in 2016, he was hounded by the media and the Left for humanizing the real estate mogul.”
Leno returned to the subject this summer, telling Deadline that modern audiences are “all over the place” politically while discussing changes to late-night television. He also called Joe Rogan “the new Johnny Carson,” pointing to podcasts as an increasingly important alternative to traditional late-night shows.
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“Like I said, we used to brag about the fact that Johnny and I would try to make fun of both sides equally,” Leno said at the time. “Looks like that doesn’t work anymore.”
