John Oliver's 'Hard Pass': Retaliating Against Jay Leno’s Late-Night Criticism
Jay Leno's Dig at Late-Night Hosts Sparks Fury from John Oliver: "Hard Pass" on Comedic Advice
The catfight between late-night legends continues, and this time, Jay Leno is getting roasted by none other than HBO Max host John Oliver! The 75-year-old comedian's recent comments about his fellow hosts have left a sour taste in the mouths of many, including Oliver, who responded with a scathing clapback.
In an interview with THR Magazine on Tuesday, Leno lamented that current late-night hosts are too busy pushing their Democratic agendas to entertain a wider audience. "I don't think anybody wants to hear a lecture...Why shoot for just half an audience? Why not try to get the whole?" he whined, displaying his signature tone-deafness.
But Oliver was having none of it. In response to Leno's comments, the British host delivered a scathing put-down: "I'm going to take a hard pass on taking comedic advice from Jay Leno." And then he dropped the mic.
"Who thinks that way? Executives?" Oliver wondered aloud, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Comedy can't be for everyone. It's inherently subjective. So, yeah, when you do stand-up, some people try to play to a broader audience, which is completely legitimate. Others decide not to, which is equally legitimate."
But let's get real here – Leno's been under fire for his refusal to retire from late-night after handing over The Tonight Show to Conan O'Brien in 2009. That debacle lasted all of seven months before NBC gave the gig right back to Leno. And now, many comics are still nursing a grudge against him.
Oliver, who became an American citizen in 2019 and has been making waves with his HBO Max satirical news show, came to the defense of his fellow hosts. "They're about systemic issues," he explained. "Our last few shows were about gang databases, AI slop, juvenile justice, med spas, air traffic control...I'm not saying that these don't have a point of view in them. Of course they do. But I hope a lot of them actually reach across people's political persuasions."
And speaking of politics, Oliver recently joined forces with Jon Stewart, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Andy Cohen, and Anderson Cooper to show support for Stephen Colbert amid his shocking cancellation from The Late Show.
"It was incredibly sad for comedy," Oliver recalled. "But we are fortunate enough to be in a very different situation than network commercial TV, so those corporate pressures are not comparable, and we have no pressures from advertisers."
The 48-year-old host's show has been making waves at the Emmy Awards, earning six nominations, including outstanding scripted variety series and outstanding writing for a variety series. Oliver has personally won 16 Emmy Awards and two Peabody Awards for Last Week Tonight.
But don't think he's getting too comfortable – "If that stops, we might be going away," he warned, hinting at the pressures of working in late-night television.
As for Leno, he'll be taking to the stage this Sunday at The Comedy & Magic Club in Hermosa Beach, CA. We can't wait to see how his audience reacts to his recent comments!
TheScholarlyNote.com
In a bizarre twist, it seems that Jay Leno's comments have sparked a heated debate among late-night hosts. But what does this say about the state of comedy and politics in America? Are we seeing a shift towards more partisan programming, or is there still room for humor to bring people together?
As the late-night wars continue to rage on, one thing is clear – John Oliver is not having it with Leno's outdated views. And who can blame him? After all, as Oliver so eloquently put it: "Comedy can't be for everyone."
