Late-night writers find Trump era ‘exhausting’ comedy gold
Panel says it often has to abandon plans to discuss headlines
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. Late-night comedy writers say they’ve found comedy gold in the Trump era and, in some cases, higher ratings. But it’s also been an “exhausting” experience.
Four writers, speaking to the Television Critics Association on Saturday at a “Has Politics Made Late-Night Great Again?” panel, said it’s tough to top the headlines.
The trick, said Hallie Haglund, a writer on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah ,” is “how do I heighten this, how do I not just show it?” In comedy terms, it’s often a case of, “There’s nothing left to do with this, because it’s so ridiculous.”
“One of the challenges is to try to avoid the low-hanging fruit,” said Christine Nangle, head writer of Comedy Central’s “The President Show,” which imagines Trump as the host of his own late-night TV show. “As much we can, we go deeper without being heavyhanded.”
Jason Reich, head writer of another Comedy Central series, “The Jim Jefferies Show,” echoed fellow writers in expressing frustration with having to respond to the latest rapid-fire political development, upending carefully laid comedy plans. “The pressure we have to talk about the same tweet everyone’s talking about. I just find it exhausting; it’s hard to find it fun.” Ashley Nicole Black, a writer and correspondent for TBS’ “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee ,” says the election, and the last six months, have demonstrated “how bifurcated the media landscape is, and I truly do not know if there’s a way to reach the other side. People only watch certain channels and read certain outlets.”
Maybe not: Her boss, Turner Entertainment chief Kevin Reilly, told USA TODAY this week that surveys reveal about 35% of Bee’s viewers identify as conservative.