Late Night Comedy in the Age of Trump: The Significance of Political Outrage

by Antora Bhattacharya

Donald Trump has been very, very good for Stephen Colbert. In 2015, when American comedian Stephen Colbert took over as the host of the CBS late night talk show ‘The Late Show’, his run wasn’t expected to last long. His initial episodes were characterized by poor ratings; often attributed to his liberal bias which alienated potential conservative viewers. He was also overshadowed by the immense popularity of his competitor, apolitical Jimmy Fallon, of NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. However, since Trump’s inauguration as the President of the United States, late night television consumption patterns have drastically changed. Ratings for Colbert and Fallon – By the Numbers

Reflecting on a Similar Situation in the Past