Leno: When people were in the news, you did jokes about the news. When you look back at jokes that drew criticism, do you say ‘those were the times’ or do you wince? And then you have to watch all the other shows, make sure you don’t have the same joke as Conan or Samantha Bee or whoever it might be.ĪP: You said that comedy doesn't change, but the targets do. Because let’s be honest, the news doesn’t change a whole lot from day to day. But I really (appreciate) how hard it is to do a different version of the same joke every night. I watch the monologues, and I don’t watch interviews too much, because I talked to that guy (the celebrity). And I enjoy everybody that's on there now. I enjoyed doing the monologue, that's my favorite part.
I enjoyed the Marx Brothers movies, but I liked Groucho because he was the wise guy.ĪP: Do you miss hosting a late-night show and the forum it gave you for comedy? I liked people who appeared normal but said funny things, as opposed to putting on costumes. I always liked people with verbal skills: Bob Newhart, Johnny Carson. Leno: He was always my favorite Marx brother because I never was a ‘put on a funny hat, throw a pie’ kind of comedian. Was watching Marx inspirational for you as a comedian? and oh my God.’ There’s an excitement and a nervousness you don’t get from the people who bump into Brad Pitt every day at the deli.ĪP: You were a kid when ‘You Bet Your Life’ aired. And you really see when they come here, they’re like, ‘It’s my first time in L.A. We choose the ones that seem like characters. For the last year we sent out feelers to Florida, Louisiana, all over, and we fly people in.
Leno: When you do a show in L.A., the cheapest, most efficient way to do it is to get people within 10 miles of the studio, (and) if they're not in show business they have some connection to it. There’s no PR person going, ‘Do not mention my client’s cocaine bust or divorce.’ You don’t get any of that.ĪP: Contestants are more media savvy than they were in Groucho Marx's day, and more likely to play to the camera.
I don’t see the contestants before the show. We shoot six episodes a day and they just fly along because it’s all ad lib. But there’s never any silly stereotype nonsense, it’s just people coming together and trying to win some money. We have people from every walk of life: Black, white, people from Nigeria, India. It’s really light and it’s fun and has no politics involved. Remarks have been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.Ī: It seems like the time is ripe for this kind of show. In an interview with The Associated Press, Leno discussed following in the game-show footsteps of a comedy great, what makes for a good contestant and the risks of topical humor. He was condemned for making an unaired joke about Koreans based on a racist stereotype, and later apologized. One of Leno's temp jobs, a guest judge on “America's Got Talent” in 2019, had serious repercussions. “People seem to like that camaraderie, because we are friends and we know each other,” Leno said.
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