You can watch this episode of Right Now With Perry Bacon above or by following this show on YouTube or Substack. You can read a transcript here.
The cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s program on CBS isn’t the end of entertainment shows with a political bent on network TV. In the latest edition of Right Now, Meredith Conroy, a political scientist at California State University, San Bernardino, discusses the post-Colbert television landscape. She emphasizes that ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel remains in his perch, as do the women who host “The View,” which also airs on ABC. Both programs are very critical of Trump. But Conroy acknowledges the landscape has changed dramatically since Bill Clinton played the saxophone on the The Arsenio Hall Show during the 1992 campaign and forever made late night TV a place for politicians to show their softer sides. She explains the powerful role that Colbert and Jon Stewart played in shaping liberal thought during George W. Bush’s presidency. Their influence seemed to wane during Barack Obama’s presidency. But during Trump’s first term, Colbert, fellow Daily Show alum Samantha Bee, Kimmel, Trevor Noah, and Seth Myers combined to deliver nightly humorous denunciations of the president. Stewart returned to late night in 2024 with a sharp and prescient critique of President Biden’s decision to run for a second term. With Colbert off the air, Kimmel will be an even more important voice, says Conroy.