CBS’s Stephen Colbert has seized largest audience in late night, thanks in large part to his nightly jabs at President Trump. But NBC entertainment chief Bob Greenblatt says he would never ask Jimmy Fallon to focus more on the president.
The “Tonight Show” host is doing many things right, after all — he still rules in the highly desirable 18-49 demo, despite Colbert’s bigger audience overall.
“The conversations we have with Jimmy [are] just general conversations about the show,” Greenblatt told TheWrap on Thursday. “He runs the creative of that show. We’re not going to ever presume to tell him: ‘Do Trump more, do it differently.'”
“It’s really his show,” Greenblatt continued. “I think these shows are the personality of the stars — they have been since Jack Paar — and I think it’s got to be that [way].”
And ruling 18-49 is more than a consolation prize, since advertisers pay more for younger viewers.
“I believe he will be the prevailing winner in this category for the next few decades,” Greenblatt added.
Fallon has been criticized for going soft on Trump, particularly in the 2016 election interview in which he gently played with his hair.
But the Comcast-owned NBCUniversal isn’t exactly hurting for Trump-bashing.
“The good news is, we have Seth Meyers and MSNBC, who do a lot of work on the Trump front,” Greenblatt said, adding that NBC really is “thrilled” with Fallon’s work and his ratings.
Anthony Scaramucci Out: 10 Things That Lasted Longer Than His White House Tenure (Photos)
If President Donald Trump is to be believed, the U.S. economy is making a roaring comeback. Job security, on the other hand, is a different story -- at least judging from the recent personnel tumult in the Trump administration.
On Monday, news broke that now-former Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci had been given the heave-ho after a wild ride lasting a mere 10 days. In the interest of perspective, TheWrap presents 10 things that lasted longer than the Mooch's White House gig.
Sean Spicer's run as Communications Director (once he was promoted to the role while still serving as White House press secretary). Hey, remember way back last week, when a month and a half seemed like a brief tenure as Communications Director? That was before the Mooch came along with an epic "Hold my beer" moment.
Kim Kardashian's marriage to Kris Humphries. Reality TV queen Kardashian provided plenty of late-night punchlines in 2011, when her marriage to NBA player Humphries ended with a divorce filing after 72 days. Now it looks like a marathon union, when placed next to Scaramucci's White House run.
William Henry Harrison's presidency. Harrison's presidency lasted a blink-and-you'll-miss-it 31 days before he succumbed to pneumonia, making his presidency the shortest in U.S. history. But it still managed to last three times longer than Scaamucci's White House run.
The average house fly. According to the good folks at Orkin, house flies generally live from 15 to 30 days -- still longer than the latest insect to inhabit the White House lasted.
Gary Busey's coma. "The Buddy Holly Story" star and general Hollywood curiosity Busey ended up in a coma in late 1988, after getting into a motorcycle accident. The coma lasted a relatively lengthy four weeks and change, and he probably still got more done during that time than the Mooch did in his White House run.
The Dodgers' recent winning streak. The Boys in Blue managed an 11-game victory streak from July 4 to July 19. While fans no doubt wished the streak had lasted longer, it still handily beat out the Mooch's run.
The 12 Days of Christmas. While Scaramucci's riotous White House run might have seemed like the gift that kept on giving, it was ultimately no match for this festive Christian season.
"Cavemen," the TV series. Back in 2007, ABC decided it was a good idea to air a TV series based on a GEICO ad campaign. It wasn't, and while the widely reviled series deservedly died a quick death, it still lasted longer than Scaramucci's reign.
Scaramucci's second marriage. Just days after Scaramucci's White House appointment, his wife Deidre reportedly filed for divorce from him after three years of marriage -- an eternity compared to Mooch's White House tenure, and also probably a seeming eternity in Deidre's mind.
Pope John Paul I's papacy. The former Albino Luciani's papacy came to an abrupt end little more than a month after it began following his September 1978 death. While that might seem like a short run, the abbreviated papacy, The Mooch's White House run still didn't have a prayer of beating it.
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Let us put the Mooch’s brief-but-wild stint into perspective
If President Donald Trump is to be believed, the U.S. economy is making a roaring comeback. Job security, on the other hand, is a different story -- at least judging from the recent personnel tumult in the Trump administration.
On Monday, news broke that now-former Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci had been given the heave-ho after a wild ride lasting a mere 10 days. In the interest of perspective, TheWrap presents 10 things that lasted longer than the Mooch's White House gig.