Late-night hosts went all in for Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign. And they haven’t stopped giving to the Democrats since then.
Most talkers concentrate their political jabs against President Donald Trump while ignoring every gaffe Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez makes.
And that’s not easy.
Now, the shows are shifting gears as the 2020 presidential race kicks in. That means Kimmel, Noah and co. are all too eager to host the growing number of Democrats running for the White House. And if it demands fawning interviews with the likes of Sen. Kamala Harris and Mayor Pete Buttigieg, so be it.
The far-left late-nighters aren’t being as kind to the party’s frontrunners, though. For example, you might think Team Late Night would ignore news that several women accused former Vice President Joe Biden of “tactile politics.”
Instead, they piled on. Stephen Colbert of “The Late Show” fame brought up Biden’s serial groping. So did Samantha Bee, arguably the most partisan of partisan late-night hosts. Trevor Noah did the same on “The Daily Show” over at Comedy Central.
This week, Noah hit his own party again, but with far more venom.
“The Daily Show” invited avowed socialist Bernie Sanders on the show. The Vermont Senator is at or near the top of most Democratic presidential polling. You’d think Noah would react accordingly, or at least crank up the softball questions.
Instead, the South African comic hit Sanders hard on two issues he’s powerless to address: his skin color and birth certificate.
“This is an interesting time where this field is more diverse than ever before, but some people have said, all right, you have a diverse field, but it feels like the frontrunners are still old white men,” Noah said.
“You’re not talking about me, are you?” Sanders joked.
Pressing forward, Noah asked how Sanders responded to those who ask, “Isn’t it time for you guys to step aside?”
Ouch.
It’s the time-tested version of, “some say…” when you know the interviewer is actually channeling his or her own questions.
Noah didn’t cite any of Sanders’ policies as the reason to step down. Nor did he do the same for Biden. They’re just “old” and “white” and, wait for it … “men.” And that’s problematic to the modern Democratic Party and the comedians that dutifully carry its water.
It’s why late-nighters won’t mock AOC but taunt their party’s old white members.
It’s increasingly clear Team Late Night wants a say in who challenges President Trump for the White House next year. And if it means taking out the most popular politicians to appease the party’s intersectional hunger, so be it.
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