Jay Leno rips partisanship in late night shows

Comedian Jay Leno bemoaned increased partisanship and political humor on late night shows, saying comics who opt for political jokes are making a mistake.

“I love political humor, don’t get me wrong,” the former host of “The Tonight Show” said during a recent interview. “But it’s just what happens when people wind up cozying too much to one side or the other.”

The former TV host’s comments were first highlighted by Mediaite.

Leno’s comments come just days after CBS announced it was canceling “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” a move that the network said was financially necessary but some critics have pointed to as evidence of sensitivity by the network’s parent company to President Trump.

Trump celebrated Colbert’s cancellation and suggested in a social media post last week, ABC late night comedian Jimmy Kimmel could be ousted soon.

Leno, who left the world of late night in 2014, suggested leading comics are under increased pressure to give their opinion on political matters and as a result are only connection with “half your audience.”

“I’d like to think that people come to a comedy show to get away from the pressures of life,” he said. “Why shoot for just half an audience all the time? … I mean, I like to bring people into the big picture. I don’t know why you would want to alienate one specific group.”