Jon Lovitz Has Beef With Late Night: ‘It’s All Political, Except for Jimmy Fallon’
“I don’t like it, I don’t like it,” gripes Jimmy Fallon, they've all become very political.”
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Once Lovitz gets a full head of steam on the topic, there’s no stopping him. "David Letterman.”
When Letterman was around, he’d tailor interviews to highlight whatever the guest wanted to do, Lovitz claims. But no more. Now it’s all about getting political and the comic doesn’t like it one bit.
“If I want the news, I’ll watch the news. I’m not watching those shows. They’re late-night entertainment, but it’s all political, except for Jimmy Fallon. And they keep getting mad at Jimmy. 'Why don’t you go into politics?’ Because he’s doing a silly escapism entertainment show.”
Colbert and company are just hammering politics to death, Lovitz complains. “They’ve become 'Here’s my political agenda.’ They’re very open about it. And I’m like, well, all right. I have no say in that. It’s their show. But I don’t particularly like that they’ve become that because where’s the comedians and the stand-up and the bits, you know, like Letterman. It was comedy.” (Even though for all his hand-wringing about how network late-night has devolved into political comedy-slinging, he doesn't acknowledge that the network he's on has perhaps the most prime 'offender:' Gutfeld!)
Lovitz got John Oliver, for his stance on U.S. aid to Israel. Lovitz doesn’t have anything personal against Oliver, he says, but because the HBO host isn’t Jewish, he doesn’t have the same fears.
Ironically, fans of Lovitz’s occasionally funny X/Twitter might have the same criticisms. Before November of this year, he mainly used it to promote comedy shows and share old SNL clips. But Lovitz lately has fired off a barrage of angry tweets (including an incredible 41 on Sunday), sparring with other s and voicing his opinions on the situation in Israel. It’s certainly well within the comedian’s right to use his platform to get political, but, well, you know. Some people have a problem with that.