How to get more diversity behind the desk of late night talk shows.
by Ashley Canino
Over the past few years, most of the broadcast late night television shows have changed hands. Hosts like Jay Leno and David Letterman, who spent decades behind their desks interviewing people of interest, have stepped down or will soon, to a new generation of hosts. While newcomers Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, and soon to be host of The Late Show, Stephen Colbert, are fresh to the talk time slot, the media and fans have taken notice of what they have in common with their predecessors. Despite a play for diversity in prime time across the broadcast nets, late night remains the dominion of white, male comedians.
More and more often we are enlightened by statistics about our country’s shifting ethnic majority, though the world of entertainment is slow to reflect our growth and diversity. Minority characters are still, well, in the minority. The source of this latency isn’t as simple as narrow-minded bigwigs at the network helms. Money and commerce are at the center of our entertainment platforms. Television shows cannot air without advertisers to fund them. Though there are certainly people working on the shows who care first and foremost about the entertainment value of their programming, the business overall is not so noble. Shows are developed to reach key viewers–those who fall into a valuable demographic. When it comes to the most important demographic in broadcast television, age still overcomes ethnicity. Millennials, adults 18-34, are the most valuable audience because of their buying power and their youth. Advertisers want to reach this age group because they respond to advertising and make purchases. Networks want millennials to watch their shows because advertisers want to spend their money reaching them. Networks are also hoping that if they capture a viewer between 18-34, that person will stay loyal to the network as they get older. They are looking for content that will grow with the viewer and viewers that will grow with the content. Jay Leno’s ousting is a strong testament to this strategy. While he consistently won the ratings race in the slightly broader 18-49 demographic, he slipped in 18-34, especially against relative newcomer Jimmy Kimmel Live. It was enough for the network to find a successor, a position temporarily filled by Conan O’Brien, and currently held by Jimmy Fallon.
The lack of diversity in late night also goes deeper than the hosts. In mid-2012 Sean McCarthy, of The Comic’s Comic, noted that in the first half of that year 4 percent of broadcast late night TV stand up performances were by women while less than 20 percent were by non-white male comics. Some of this can be attributed to disparities in the comedy genre–a topic frequently addressed regarding female, comedic film and TV stars such as Kristen Wiig and Amy Poehler. Some of it funnels back to the demographic common denominator show producers seek. Maybe female audiences are more inclined to view and enjoy predominantly male entertainers because we are so used to that entertainment paradigm, while our male counterparts may need some convincing that Amy Poehler, or someone like her, could have a sense of humor that would keep them interested. The new regime of hosts reflect good choices for an industry that wants to go younger, but doesn’t necessarily want to go different. Late night has always looked a certain way. Fallon and Colbert manage to maintain that look, but hopefully will pull in a younger group of fans.
Regardless of the rationale, selecting another white, male host may be the easy choice. It may also be a greater long-term risk than intended as audiences grow more diverse and savvy, with more options for television content that suits their tastes. A few names come to mind as outside of the box choices that could resonate among the most coveted viewers and better reflect the contemporary audience.
Aisha Tyler
Aside from a background in the talk format with CBS’ The Talk and going back to Talk Soup in the early 1990s, Tyler has proven she has the sense of humor that resonates with the 18-34 audience of cable hit Archer. The show has been successful for five seasons, with Tyler as the voice behind one of the main characters, Lana. She has the exact sort of balance between sensible and risque to take late night to the edge of politically correct and attract audiences across a range of demographics.
Arsenio Hall
Though his early 1990s, eponymous talk show was resurrected as a syndicated late night platform last year, Hall’s name was conspicuously absent from rumors of potential replacements for David Letterman. He has proven that with strong guests he can pull strong ratings, having tied Jimmy Kimmel Live in the 18-49 demographic in the past. With a few tweaks to his nightly crew, a la Jimmy Fallon’s tie-in with The Roots, Hall could prove to be a ratings heavyweight at both ends of the 18-49 audience.
Maya Rudolph
Maya’s upcoming variety hour, The Maya Rudolph Show, will air on NBC on May 19th, 10 p.m. ET/PT. Vulture released the first photo from the show’s set a few days ago. Given the announcements of musical guests Janelle Monae and Raphael Saadiq, along with guests Fred Armisen, Chris Parnell, Andy Samberg, and Kristen Bell, this is pretty much required viewing. The performance will be a one-off affair, but we’re all keeping our fingers crossed that it might lead to a steady gig.
Consider also that Lorne Michaels and NBC like to keep it in the family. They moved Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers into their late night spots, and Rudolph is another Saturday Night Live alum to round out the list. She is known for having portrayed people of various ethnicities on SNL, including Lucy Liu, Condoleeza Rice, and Barbara Streisand. Aside from being a fantastic impersonator, she comes off as personable just being herself. What remains to be proven are her talk format chops, but her improv background would surely serve her well in that setting. And with the success of Jimmy Fallon’s song and dance sketches, audiences would likely embrace Rudolph’s theatrics as well.
The list of mainstream talent who are outside of the historical late night mold goes on. As our country continues to change rapidly in its diversity, leanings, and tolerance, we can hope that the decades long reigns of late night give way to talent procurement that better reflects the present and future.
