Late night talk shows always occupy unique space in the mind of the audience in America. In India too, we have a popular Karan Thapar’s The Devil’s Advocate and Hard Talk in England. There are several components of such shows — comedy, social commentary, political insights and moral values. The audiences like such shows as they are highly entertaining. However, the lines between satire and political commentary gets blurred on the late-night format.
CBS has announced the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. It was critical of Trump, but that alone cannot justify its cancellation, since it was possible to replace Colbert by another innocuous host.
In the past too, there was tension between the host’s parallel responsibilities of being an entertainer and a commentator.
Most presidents now understand that the host’s critique is a barometer of public sentiment. The tension is between affection and criticism, respect and ridicule.
Maybe, this tendency would go beyond Colbert. The king in the past were accompanied by jesters to keep them grounded and humble. Late night shows carried this forward. Silencing them is to eliminate one of the last spaces where they are publicly challenged.
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