Late-night television, like Tibetan sand art, is an ephemeral art form. Sure, you can glue it down, but the point is to be in the moment, you know? A new horrible thing happens in the news, and the late-night Jimmys, et al., process it with you in real time. Through the “This Week in Late Night” column, I do my best to pin a few waves upon the sand every week, but some great clips invariably get left behind.
Here’s to all the fallen bits of 2023: the George Santos impersonations, the Angela Bassetts doing the things, the support of the SAG strike after the WGA strike ended and allowed late-night chat to return. We’ll never forget you … except for that we absolutely will, once 2024 brings new horrors and new jokes with which to cope.
January
The Late Late Show Does a Séance
Remember The Late Late Show With James Corden? It existed for nearly half the year! This clip highlights the best thing about that dearly departed show: the loose hang vibe that emerged during the lockdown era. I miss it!
Keke Palmer’s Gender Reveal
Keke Palmer hard-launched her baby bump on Saturday Night Live back in January. Later that month, she dropped the baby’s gender on The Tonight Show. Palmer had the public eating out of her hand all year, and still no Oscar nom for her role in Nope? Disgusting.
March
Late Night’s Nepo-Baby Allegations
New York’s Nepo Baby issue had the internet talking, that’s for dang sure. Ben Warheit took the discourse to Late Night and made Seth Meyers acknowledge the leg up his parents gave him. Brave!
Tooning Out the Financial Apocalypse
Another late-night show gunned down in its prime, Tooning Out the News was so much meaner than its parent show (The Late Show With Stephen Colbert) ever could be. This clip is emblematic of the shit they’d pull, including a nice supercut of right-wing pundits blaming the 2008 financial crisis on minorities, and comparing that to Fox News’ claim that wokeness killed Silicon Valley Bank.
April
Jon Stewart Returns to The Daily Show
Jon Stewart put his weight behind Roy Wood Jr. in the competition to find The Daily Show a new host post–Trevor Noah. It didn’t go how he’d hoped, but at least Stewart got to nerd out about Star Wars on Comedy Central one last time.
Late Late Show Staffers Flee
Not only is The Late Late Show With James Corden over, the whole time slot has been taken by After Midnight. In this clip, the crew tries to hitch their wagon to Seth Meyers’s star. Also, shout-out to Late Late’s recurring sketch performers like Will Hines (seen above).
May
Dulcé Sloan’s Hope
Dulcé Sloan’s first hosting slot on The Daily Show was cut short due to the WGA strike. It was a shame, because she fit in that role so well. Sloan used the Q&A segment on The Daily Show to talk about how hard it can be to hope for your big break, and it was a really beautiful thing to share right before a long and arduous strike — one which required a lot of hope to get through.
June
WWHL’s Unscripted Chaos
Post-WGA strike but pre-SAG, Watch What Happens Live was briefly the only game in town. Jon Hamm and John Slattery came by to discuss Bravo’s various unscripted, nonunion shows. They even read a script, technically. Hamm and Slattery re-created Tom Sandoval and James Kennedy’s “worm with a mustache” fight, and it brightened our lives just a little bit.
October
Colbert’s Return From War Strike
Stephen Colbert dramatized the strike’s end with fake beard on his face and a Jimmy Buffett song in his heart, and it was so fun. Let Colbert dress up! Let him be a silly goose.
John Wilson Is a Toilet
John Wilson was that rare late-night guest who dressed up for Halloween. “You’re John dressed as a john!” Jimmy Kimmel said, trying to understand the bit. But Wilson countered that he was just “trying to spread awareness” that he is now a toilet. Genuine freaks should get a chance to be on late night more often, don’t you think?
November
John Oliver’s Pūteketeke Push
John Oliver meddled in Aotearoa New Zealand’s “Bird of the Century” vote, and we’re all supposed to be fine with it? … You’re laughing? John Oliver influenced a foreign election and you’re laughing? For shame.
“Jokes Seth Can’t Tell” Turns 50
Seth Meyers really lets his writers put him through it, and you’ve got to respect that. Here, Amber Ruffin and Jenny Hagel (with the help of Ian Morgan as the herald) force Meyers tell the jokes he usually cannot. It’s like Michael Che and Colin Jost’s SNL Christmas joke swap, but with tiaras. Side note: Late Night should swap Morgan’s old “Surprise Inspection” headshot with him dressed as the herald. Thank you.
December
Tony Shalhoub Introduces Seth Meyers
This was just cute. Tony Shalhoub asked Seth Meyers if he could be the one to throw them back from commercial, and Meyers was like “Sure.” A lesson to us all: When you see your silly little shot, take it.
George Clooney and Jimmy Kimmel on Norman Lear
People forget that George Clooney was in the TV biz long before ER and even longer before his movie career. You know who doesn’t forget that? Clooney. Nor did Norman Lear. On Jimmy Kimmel Live, Clooney and Kimmel reminisced about their late friend and the way he shaped their lives. It was nice.
Anderson Cooper Stains the WWHL Carpet
It’s not even New Year’s Eve, but Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen are already being messy. Cohen was bullying Cooper and being a gossipy little shit, which is in fact his job. “Gossipy little shit” is on his business cards. But this clip was sent over the edge when Gayle King asked an innocent question, which caused Cooper to spit out his Diet Coke. It’s unplanned moments like these that keep us coming back to late night as a medium.
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