Photo: Lloyd Bishop/NBC via Getty Images
The biggest shake-up in late night this week was sartorial. Guillermo got a makeover from Colman Domingo on Jimmy Kimmel Live! He looked fly as hell with a snappy new hat. Presumably, he’ll be back to his normal uniform when the next guest host slots in next week, but hopefully they’ll bring back the Domingo ’fit for special occasions — like whenever they figure out what’s going on with the lettuce. That would be a day to celebrate.
Yes, it’s still poop-jokeapalooza on late night since the cyclospora outbreak shows few signs of stopping. The Daily Show had perhaps the most egregious diarrhea joke this week, adding farts and sharts to one of RFK Jr.’s TikToks. “And that is the trenchant satire you’ve come to expect from 30 years of The Daily Show,” host Desi Lydic said at its conclusion. Yes, TDS turned 30 this week, and they made a clip package designed to make one feel ancient. Remember Craig Kilborn? But that wasn’t the only late-night history revisited this week, as you’ll see below.
The Tonight Show had fun with sound effects this week during a sketch on corruption and greed in the White House. It’s been interesting seeing how Fallon et al. balance the show’s previous apoliticism with the current moment, when saying nothing is basically the same thing as agreeing with totalitarianism. This took an upsetting story about Trump trying to get paid to tweak the stock market with Truth Social and turned it into a chance to go boi-oi-oing.
Conversely, Jon Stewart has always balanced the wonky with the wacky. Stewart interviewed Ben Wikler about his book documenting the success Wisconsin Dems have had retaking their state from gerrymandering and court-stuffing. Stewart did three things incredibly well: He let Wikler get his spiel out to convince people to buy the book, he pushed back when things got too centrist, and he gestured wildly like Kermit the Frog. It was a read of Wikler, who was gesticulating like a mother-effer. “I’m going to move my hands as much as you,” Stewart said. “Let’s do this!” replied Wikler. “I’ve got got long arms, man.” Just when things seemed too contentious and/or boring to a late-night viewer, Stewart knew when to jingle the keys in our face.
Arsenio Hall was Colman Domingo’s guest on Wednesday night, but he made the room feel like it was his own. Hall told story after story about his long career, and each one killed. What’s more, he’s got a great old, near-death Richard Pryor impression in his back pocket whenever he needs it. Fans of Pryor in Lost Highway (me) lost their mind.
On WWHL, Octavia Spencer and Heather Dubrow played “Ma-ment of Truth,” reminding all of us that we have yet to see Ma 2 grace our screens. More Ma! Anyway, the game was simple: The announcer would make ludicrous statements about Spencer, and Dubrow had to guess whether or not they were true. Spoiler: A lot of the goofier ones were. Double spoiler: Octavia Spencer’s favorite ranch dressing is served at SoCal burger chain Islands.
What a bravura performance from Jo Firestone on Late Night With Seth Meyers this week. She was so funny, so pregnant, so flustered by every question despite the fact she was almost certainly prepped on what was to be discussed. And she gets her licks in, too. When trying to justify how much Love Island she has watched, she tried to quote a poet — the one who said something about “one precious life.” Seth Meyers becomes the flustered one, looking for the answer on his cards. “It’s not there,” she says. The poet was Mary Oliver, btw. And Firestone can and should let the soft animal of her body love what it loves (Love Island).
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