Jimmy Fallon isn’t looking to get too political on The Tonight Show.
The comedian, who has been hosting the long-running late night talk show for more than 10 years, recently shared on CNBC’s Squawk on the Street that NBC’s The Tonight Show has “never really been political” and he wants to keep it that way.
“We hit both sides equally, and we try to make everybody laugh, and that’s really the way our show works,” Fallon continued. “Our monologues are kind of the same that we’ve been doing since Johnny Carson was hosting The Tonight Show. So really, I just keep my head down and make sure the jokes are funny.”
“I have great writers,” the host added. “And we’re just trying to make the best show we possibly can and entertain everybody.”
Late night television has been making headlines in recent months, first with CBS announcing the cancellation of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert in July and then ABC suspending Jimmy Kimmel Live! in September over comments host Jimmy Kimmel made about Charlie Kirk’s shooter.
While the latter has since returned to broadcast, Kimmel was initially criticized by FCC chair Brendan Carr over his remarks during his Sept. 15 opening monologue. However, the show’s suspension later drew widespread discussion over free speech.
When Kimmel was off the air, Fallon addressed the situation on The Tonight Show at the time, saying, “I don’t know what’s going on — no one does. But I do know Jimmy Kimmel, and he is a decent, funny and loving guy. And I hope he comes back.”
Though Fallon tries to limit his political commentary on his show, he still occasionally gets dragged into the conversation by President Donald Trump, who has said he wants The Tonight Show host fired as well.
