10 Of The Best Late Night TV Talk Show Hosts And The King
Happy TV Talk Show Host Day to you and yours. Hope you're celebrating accordingly. If you already aren't, try being annoying to your family and friends with silly one-liners. Maybe you're walking around the house saying stupid crap like "Don't you go anywhere...we'll be back after this" after you wrap up a conversation with a loved one. However you feel like celebrating, just do it.
National Talk Show Host day was created on the birthday of the legendary king of late night television Mr. Johnny Carson. Carson hosted the the Tonight Show 30 straight years and was the standard of excellence in late night TV that generations of future talk show hosts would strive to live up to.
Now talk shows come in a wide variety of platforms from late night talk to shows built around health and infotainment segments, even shows where white trash, baby mama, who the daddy, you are not the father, brawl it out on stage, but for the purpose of this exercise, we're going to focus only on late night talk show hosts.
Here are some of our favorites:
10) James Corden: He has been host of the Late, Late Show since 2015. His Car Pool Karaoke make this show a must-see.
9) Jon Stewart: Known as sarcastic, sardonic, mixed with a heavy incisive sense of humor, he headed up the Daily Show for from 1996-2020. Best known for "Your moment of Zen".
8) Stephen Colbert: This comedian, writer, producer and political commentator succeeded David Letterman as host of the Late Show on CBS. Best known for the Colbert Report.
7) Conan O'Brien: Host of Conan on TBS. The former host of Late Night With Conan O'Brien host was born with a talent for self-deprecating humor. Best known for his improvisational comedy style.
6) Jimmy Kimmel: Host of Jimmy Kimmel Live show since 2003, Kimmel can't seem to shake controversy. From his Pistons half time show where he claimed Detroit wouldn't be worth burning down, to racial slurs made when shooting a mock video, to joking about whether we should allow Chinese people to live, Jimmy has managed to irk quite a few people over the years. Best known for "Hey Jimmy Kimmel, I told my kids I ate all their Halloween Candy"
5) Arsenio Hall: Host of the Arsenio Hall Show from 1989 - 1994. Late night audiences loved him and the show was a break out hit with younger demographics. Best known for audiences chanting "Roo, Roo, Roo" while fist pumping.
4) Jimmy Fallon: Host of the Tonight Show. He took the reins of the show from Jay Leno in 2014. Fallon made headlines when he was one of the first to broadcast "at home" during the Coronavirus outbreak. Best Known for breaking character during skits.
3) Trevor Noah: Host of the Daily Show on Comedy Central Trevor began his career as an actor, comedian and television host in South Africa. He took over The Daily Show from long time host Jon Stewart in 2015. Best Known for speaking up to six languages.
2) Jay Leno: Named as Johnny Carson's replacement, Jay hosted the Tonight Show from 1992 - 2009 and again from 2010 -2014. Leno's entrance as a host of the Tonight Show (with David Letterman) and his exit as host of the Tonight Show (with Conan O'Brien) were both marred in controversy to long to describe here. Best known for Jay Walking and a plethora of classic cars.
1) David Letterman: He debuted on late TV as host of Late Night With David Letterman in 1982 and 33 years later holds the prestigious record for longest serving late night host in television history. Best known for Top 10 List and Stupid Pet Tricks.
The King) Johnny Carson: The King Of Late Night Talk, Carson forged the late night genre into what was considered a throw away day part for television. He reigned over late night TV for 30 years (1962-1992). He was responsible for launching the careers of Jay Leno, David Letterman, Robin Williams and more. Best Known for Carnac The Magnificent, The Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and Floyd R Turbo American.