Stephen A. Smith shrugs off saving late-night TV, as public lacks ‘laughing mood’
Stephen A. Smith shrugs off saving late-night TV amid public’s lack of ‘laughing mood’
Sports journalist Stephen A. Smith contended the declining ratings of late-night television stem from the “serious issues” facing the public, as people are “not in a laughing mood” when faced with the challenges in the world.
Smith was giving his assessment during a discussion with Fox News’s Sean Hannity, during which the topic of late-night comedy television was brought up. Hannity lamented its bias and how “ideological” its hosts are. Because of this, Hannity contended that half of viewers in the United States have been “knocked off” from tuning into these shows, whereas Smith argued these hosts are “incredibly talented” and he personally has respect for them.
TIRED TV: 99% LATE-NIGHT SHOW GUESTS LIBERAL AND ZERO REPUBLICAN
“I would say to you, I don’t feel the way that you feel about Colbert and Fallon and Kimmel, but I don’t blame you for feeling the way that you feel because you follow this closely and you’re looking for certain things,” Smith said on Fox Nation’s Sean. “And if there’s a level of unfairness because you detect liberalism, a strong tilt towards liberalism as opposed to right, then I can’t knock you for that.”
Stephen A. Smith blames drop in late-night TV ratings on ’tilt toward liberalism’ as ‘people aren’t in laughing mood’
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— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) January 9, 2025
Smith then contended that decreased ratings facing late-night TV stems from how the news is filled with “very serious issues” and that this has created an environment where audiences are “not in a laughing mood,” to which Hannity quickly added, “Big time.”
To remedy the struggles of late-night TV, Hannity made his pitch to “save” it, which consisted of a show featuring a rotating set of hosts. For one night, Hannity explained, someone like Robert De Niro, “who hates Trump,” could be the host, and the next night, it could be someone like himself or radio host Mark Levin.
Following Hannity’s pitch, Smith recalled how Saturday Night Live made a skit that poked fun at both President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, which was “equally critical” of both sides of the political spectrum.
Hannity’s full discussion with Smith can be viewed on Fox Nation’s Sean.
Ahead of the 2024 election, Trump made an appearance on Gutfeld!, which garnered almost 5 million viewers, 744,000 of whom were in the key 25-54 age demographic. It also provided the program’s best week in viewership since its launch in 2021.
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