Trump has inspired a new golden age of comedy
After struggling through much of his first year as host of “The Daily Show,” Trevor Noah is scoring his best ratings since taking over for Jon Stewart in late 2015. Thank you, Mr. President. Donald Trump’s election has been a boon for comedians ready and willing to mock an administration disdainful of the media and the liberals who populate the country’s media capitals.
From “Saturday Night Live” to HBO’s Bill Maher, comedy shows are attracting viewers in numbers not seen in years.
Noah has been one of the biggest beneficiaries, with ratings for his Comedy Central show up 9 percent from a year ago as young viewers tune in for his nightly takedowns of the president and his Cabinet.
“When politics is at its worst, it’s the best condition for comedy in general and late-night hosts in particular,” said Kent Alterman, president of Comedy Central.
“Good comedy is always reacting to and reflecting the world we live in. When things become more extreme, as they have in our country, there is something therapeutic about comedy.”
Like Noah, Stephen Colbert struggled in his 2015 transition to “The Late Show” on CBS from Comedy Central. But he has garnered acclaim — along with new viewers — with his recent political commentary and has surpassed “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” as the most-watched latenight program three weeks in a row, thanks to a 6 percent ratings jump this year and a 17 percent drop for his rival on NBC.
Former “Daily Show” correspondent Samantha Bee has more than doubled her audience in a second season of “Full Frontal” on TBS.
Maher, too, has thrived, garnering 5.5 million viewers per episode — the biggest audience since 2003, his first year on HBO.
No show has irked Trump as much as NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” which recruited Alec Baldwin to impersonate the commander in chief and Melissa McCarthy to play press secretary Sean Spicer.
McCarthy’s Feb. 11 impersonation of “Spicey” has been viewed more than 13 million times on YouTube. That night’s episode of “SNL” delivered its biggest audience in eight years, contributing to the show’s best season in more than 20 years.
“Audiences are craving more political content, but they also are craving more progressive content,” said David Craig, assistant professor of communications management at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School. “It’s like color commentary on this reality show called ‘Washington.’ ”
Comedy hasn’t been the only beneficiary of Trump’s win.
Conservatives gave Fox News a big ratings boost during the campaign, and the network continues to thrive.
Audiences have also embraced escapist fare such as the cheery reality programming on HGTV and the idealism of movies such as “La La Land” and “Hidden Figures.”
Like any oft-told joke, the current spate of political humor could eventually start to wear thin.
Noah’s rise began when he ventured outside his New York studio to tape from the presidential conventions. It was during the Republican convention in Cleveland that the idea of a Trump presidency began to dawn on much of the country — including Noah, a South African who moved to the United States during the Obama administration.
The “Daily Show” host has grown more comfortable and confident since that trip, said Alterman and executive producer Steve Bodow.
“I’ve seen Trevor transition from observing politics mostly from the outside to being someone who is much more inside it without yielding or sacrificing his outsider’s perspective,” Bodow said.
“He’s been through this experience with all of us now through the crazy primaries and conventions.”