Shifts, shuffles, and kerfuffles: A history of American late-night television

Photo Illustration by Stacker // Getty Images Alongside the nightly newscast and the morning show, the late-night talk show is one of the pillars of American broadcasting. You’ve seen these shows and know the formula: a host steps out to an audience, gives a joke-filled monologue about the day’s events, does a sketch or two, banters with the house band, and interviews notable people. As standard as the format is now, it took years and several iterations to reach it–and it continues to evolve. Late-night television as we know it now follows the format that Johnny Carson, host of “The Tonight Show” from 1962 to 1992, refined and perfected. Upon leaving television, networks tried to fill in the gap, with new competitors emerging across broadcast and cable networks. What resulted were fierce rating and publicity battles, and personal and professional strife between hosts like David Letterman and Jay Leno. In the age of YouTube and streaming services, modern-day late-night talk shows are competing over online views instead of Nielsen ratings. The content these shows provide now is markedly different than before, adapting to new mediums–current late-night fare ranges from fun viral videos to political deep dives. Regardless of the changes and evolution of late-night television, however, one can still see the lineage from where the genre began and where it is now. Stacker chronicled that lineage, looking at 25 different points in time from the past seven decades of late-night television. Read on to see where your favorite late-night hosts fit into this fascinating history and the legacies they left behind. The beginnings of late-night programming Steve Oroz/Michael Ochs Archives // Getty Images Mainstream late-night television shows began in earnest in the 1950s, primarily inspired by variety shows like “The Ed Sullivan Show” which showcased musicians, comedians, and other performers. “Broadway Open House” on NBC is the first variety series to air in a late-night slot (at 11 p.m.) as opposed to a prime-time slot (from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.) in 1950. While the show was unsuccessful, it was the first step to a more iconic property from the network. ‘The Tonight Show’ begins Brad Barket // Getty Images for Comedy Central Citing a general loss of satisfaction from his job, Jon Stewart said goodbye to “The Daily Show,” leaving behind a formidable legacy. Many “Daily Show” alums successfully used the program as a springboard for other late-night shows. Stephen Colbert had already hosted “The Colbert Report” from 2005 to 2014, while correspondents Samantha Bee, Hasan Minhaj, Larry Wilmore, and John Oliver also gained notoriety. Trevor Noah, then a contributor to the show, was chosen to succeed Colbert; Noah stayed in the role until 2022. A new late shift: Fallon replaces Leno, Colbert replaces Letterman Frederick M. Brown // Getty Images After Jay Leno (once again) left “The Tonight Show” in 2014, “Late Night” host Jimmy Fallon took over, with “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” taking the franchise back to New York City. Meanwhile, on CBS, David Letterman announced his own retirement from “The Late Show,” and Stephen Colbert became his successor. With Fallon moving to 11:30 p.m. and Craig Ferguson stepping down from “The Late Late Show,” “SNL” Weekend Update host Seth Meyers and British comic James Corden took the 12:30 a.m. slot on NBC and CBS, respectively. John Oliver succeeds Jon Stewart as perennial Emmy winner Rich Fury // Getty Images During the peak years of “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart, the program would regularly win the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Variety Series (which would eventually spinoff into the Outstanding Variety Talk Series award). Since 2016, “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” a weekly late-night show summing up the news from the previous week and showcasing deep-dive breakdowns of socioeconomic and political topics, has won the Emmy in the variety series category every year and continues to garner critical acclaim. Late-night shows battle over YouTube views Bruce Glikas/Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic // Getty Images With mainstream media shifting from broadcasting to streaming, shows from hosts such as Jimmy Fallon, James Corden, and Jimmy Kimmel produced content with the aim of going viral on YouTube. Corden famously had the Carpool Karaoke segment that featured him singing popular songs with celebrities, while Fallon had guests participate in segments like Wheel of Musical Impressions and making headlines solely from these moments. While younger viewers digest late-night comedy content online now, linear television viewers have led Fox News’ “Gutfeld!” to the top of the ratings. James Corden leaves, ending ‘The Late Late Show’