Daily Beast Podcast: ‘Colbert Is Just Not Funny Anymore’
Progressive 'Last Laugh' hosts skewer 'Late Show' stars as 'painful'
Stephen Colbert didn’t cry on-air over Donald Trump’s re-election unlike one of his late-night peers.
“The Late Show” host might shed some tears after hearing his fellow progressives tear into him.
“The Last Laugh’s” Matt Wilstein and co-host Andy Levy reviewed comedy’s impact on pop culture in 2024 on the latest episode. The Daily Beast show explored Trump’s swing-state sweep and how podcasts may have helped the real estate mogul crush Vice President Kamala Harris.
The podcast, like The Daily Beast, leans to the Left. Hard.
What was surprising, though, was their take on late-night television. Colbert, in particular, took it on the chin.
Hard.
Levy mentioned that he doesn’t watch late-night TV regularly but he does while visiting his mother.
“I sit there, and I say to myself, and I hate that I’m saying this, but [Colbert] is just not funny anymore,” Levy said while Wilstein echoed the sentiment with a quiet, “Yeah.”
Many on the Right have mocked Colbert for his one-sided monologues in recent years. He’s also embraced “clapter,” jokes that share the “approved” political leanings but aren’t particularly funny.
Levy and Wilstein agreed, but through a different ideological lens.
“I don’t know what happened to him, because he truly was a comedy genius,” said Levy, citing “The Colbert Report” as proof.
“He’s doing the lowest-hanging, hashtag-resistance humor. It is actually painful for me to watch to the point where I’ve said to my Mom, ‘can we please not watch Colbert?’ I’ve reached a point where I’d rather watch Jimmy Fallon, and that’s a wild thing to be saying,” Levy said.
The duo agreed that Jimmy Kimmel offers better late-night liberalism, but they weren’t exactly sold on the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” host, either.
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The pair tried to cut Colbert some slack.
“He’s backed off a little bit from the political stuff … he’s trying to find what his role will be.” Wilstein said. “Colbert still has his moments every once in a while, but I don’t know what he’s doing exactly.”
“It’s a little bit baffling to see what’s happening to him as a comedian and as a voice who was so vital and now is making jokes that feel interchangeable with Jimmy Fallon’s soft monologue jokes,” Wilstein continued.
Levy dug in deeper, despite praising Colbert’s interview chops.
“This is the path he and the producers of ‘The Late Show’ have chosen for his monologue-type stuff,” Levy said. “I feel like Alex in ‘A Clockwork Orange’ being forced to watch it. It makes me sad, too, because … he was one of the best things in comedy on TV for a very long time.”
Wilstein suggested Jon Stewart’s 2024 return to “The Daily Show” might have lit a creative fire under Colbert.
Nothing doing, according to “The Last Laugh” podcast.
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I watched the Daily Show when Craig Kilborn hosted. It was funny and was evenly balanced. Not strictly left or right. When he left it started to spawn folks like Stewart and Colbert. Their entire repertoire revolves around politics but not on an even playfield. They cater to Democrats/Liberals. After DJT left office the first time, these folks struggled to get laughs because by then they had forgotten how to talk about anything except DJT. Kind of like the folks on the View. Now that he has reclaimed office all those “entertainers “ are back to the fear mongering and belittling of not only DJT but anyone who voted for him. Jimmy Kimmel was a lot funnier when he and Adam Corolla brought us such classics as “Girls bouncing on trampolines”. Jimmy dusted off a halo when he hit the late night and obviously wanted to put behind his previous less woke humour. Smart people don’t let themselves be swayed by opinions of entertainers. Water all, they mostly studied drama and literature in school. They are no better equipped to preach about politics than anyone else, but they have the platform of fame to push their opinions. And that’s what they are, opinions.
Well, Colbert has finally worn out his welcome. I guess yipping about your bosses lawsuit settlement on air is not a good career move. Bye bye Stephen, maybe the Obamas are looking for a pool boy.
And now Kimmel can go back to girls jumping on trampolines. Seeing how his show has been pulled for failing to realize that his political opinions should not be the sole basis for his act. Funny is funny, hateful is not. Learn the difference.
His character in the Colbert Report was conservative. It was hard to tell how much of his material was genuine, and how much of it was what you would expect a liberal to say if they were mocking a conservative. As far as I can remember though he never really “broke character” to reveal just how liberal or conservative his personal views really were. To his credit he came to my military base in Iraq while touring with the USO, and had his head shaved by one of the guests during the show to stand in solidarity with the troops. Not exactly a liberal move to visit the troops in a warzone, let alone shaving his head. Really, I think it accurately represents all Americans to an extent. A lot of us aren’t just entirely liberal or entirely conservative. It’s all the polarizing talk, the name calling, and the us vs them thinking. We also all need to be aware of the fact that there are forces on the internet who’s sole purpose is to sow chaos and division between the citizens of the United States. Not everyone who is pissing you off online is who they claim to be.
It’s hard to be funny nowadays. My wife and I watched Chris Rock’s SNL monologue from a week or so ago. After it was over she turned to me and said deadpan “I think Will Smith slapped the funny out of him.”
Now that’s funny. You’re right though, it’s hard to be a comic these days. The political correct crowd will tear people apart for any joke involving protected classes of people, so really the only safe demographic for comics to make fun of without fear of being cancelled is white men.
Anyone who follows any of these named people or who cares what they think or say is missing something essential in life.
Then what brought you to the story to begin with. You know, by simply reading it you are in fact “following this named person?” I wonder (I am allowed to do that right?) if you’re not doing the exact thing you are criticizing others for just by reading the story and commenting on it? There’s a word for that, hypa.., hypo…, hypocritter…, what the hell is that word? Oh yeah, dumbass!
Andy Levy? As in “TV’s Andy Levy”?
I don’t tune in to Colbert, so the only time I have seen him in the past few years is in a clip I encountered online. I thought it was very funny, even though Colbert scarcely said a word. His guest was Jon Stewart. Stewart was ranting on how the origins of the COVID virus were an impenetrable mystery even though it just happened to show up down the street from a virus lab in Wuhan. Colbert couldn’t stop him, and watching Colbert get pale and sweaty as he was forced to listen to his mentor speak obvious truths was delightful.
I went to high school with him, he was never funny & I think he still owes me money for pot.
His mom was a nice lady though.
Soooooooo late to the party. Absolutely blinded by their politics.
Colbert was never anything but a propaganda puppet. Funny never entered the equation.
Wow, I think Colbert’s been on fire. But then again, I can’t stand djt. Maybe one’s political leanings play a part?
Of course you think it’s funny, reinforcing your TDS.
I watch the monologues of all the late-night hosts – Colbert, Kimmel, Fallon, Meyer – and Colbert makes me laugh out loud way more than the others. It’s not just his jokes that are better but also his delivery. Whereas Kimmel and Fallon just stand around reciting their jokes and Meyer sits behind his desk, Colbert is a theatrical performer, gesticulating, dancing, changing his voice, using various props and disguises. I find him far more entertaining than the others.
I didn’t think he was ever funny.