The editor-in-chief of the Babylon Bee has harshly criticized U.S. late-night comedians, saying they have become unfunny ‘self-righteous zealots’ in thrall to a ‘leftist religion’.
‘Over the last decade, late-night hosts across the board began to lay aside their relatable, everyman’s brand of comedy and pivot toward lecturing the crowd on their moral values,’ wrote editor Kyle Mann in a scathing column for the National Review.
‘They went from chasing laughter — no matter who the butt of the joke may have been — to chasing applause. The result has been anything but funny,’ he added.
Mann pointed specifically to a recent interview with Samantha Bee, the Full Frontal late-night host on TBS, who admitted that she doesn’t like to joke about President Joe Biden because she doesn’t want to ‘undermine’ him.
Kyle Mann, editor-in-chief of the Babylon Bee has harshly criticized U.S. late-night comedians, saying they have become unfunny ‘self-righteous zealots’ in thrall to a ‘leftist religion’
Mann pointed specifically to a recent interview with Samantha Bee, who admitted that she doesn’t like to joke about President Joe Biden because she doesn’t want to ‘undermine’ him
‘Like, I don’t need to make jokes just to make jokes. I like to make really targeted jokes. There are more worthy targets right now, I think,’ Bee said of pulling punches with Biden
Bee told Dan Rather earlier this month: ‘You’re like, okay, well we could be making jokes about, we could be making jokes about the infrastructure plan, but in general, I’m like, ‘Wow, this is great. Why would I purposefully undermine something that is, seems to be a great idea, pretty much across the board?”
‘Like, I don’t need to make jokes just to make jokes. I like to make really targeted jokes. There are more worthy targets right now, I think,’ she added.
‘Bee’s comment that Biden isn’t really a worthy target just reeks of desperately needing your audience to agree with you,’ Mann remarked.
‘The Left often argues that comedy should ‘punch up’ and ‘speak truth to power.’ Who’s more powerful than the president of the United States?’ he wrote.
‘If the point of comedy is to make some kind of moral point with every joke, well, comedians like Samantha Bee are quickly going to find that they have simply become defenders of the establishment after all,’ added Mann.
Stephen Colbert, who took over The Late Show on CBS from David Letterman in 2015, is seen as the most political of the late-night crowd, frequently railing at Trump
Jimmy Fallon, initially reluctant to wade into politics, grew more strident after taking criticism for ‘humanizing’ Trump in an interview during the 2016 campaign
Mann is the editor-in-chief of the Babylon Bee, a conservative and Christian satirical news site in the style of The Onion.
He was quick to admit that his publication most frequently lampoons leftists, but noted that it also takes aim at hypocrisy on the right and among Christian leaders.
Indeed, one of the most famous Babylon Bee articles skewered wealthy televangelist Joel Olsteen. The satirical article in 2017, as a hurricane battered Houston, was titled: Joel Osteen Sails Luxury Yacht Through Flooded Houston To Pass Out Copies Of ‘Your Best Life Now’.
Mann was working in sales in the construction industry in 2016 when he saw the Babylon Bee on Facebook and submitted his first article on spec.
Mocking elaborate services at megachurches, it was titled: Holy Spirit Unable To Move Through Congregation As Fog Machine Breaks.
‘I can understand Bee’s comments, along with the desire to poke fun at the opposition more than anyone or anything else,’ Mann commented in his new column.
‘Yet at the same time, my favorite pieces to write are the ones that punch our audience square in the face, that call out the hypocrisy of the Right, that make fun of inconsistent living among Christians and our failure to live up to what we preach. I love satire that loves its target most of all,’ he said.
‘Those who hold their beliefs strongly can laugh at the world, their predicaments, and themselves. Those without confidence in their beliefs cannot laugh at all, for fear the whole thing will come crumbling down,’ wrote Mann in his column.
ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel is seen above. The editor of the Bablyon Bee is criticizing late-night hosts for ‘lecturing the crowd on their moral values’
CBS host James Corden is seen above. In his column, Mann lamented that late-night comedians were unable to set their politics aside to focus on humor
Mann also admitted that conservatives ‘can be pretty bad at comedy’.
‘Conservatives have tried and failed to put out good comedy shows and films to rival the late-night propaganda emanating from the left every weeknight. The problem with many of these attempts is that they were trying to make a point first and be funny second,’ he wrote.
The top broadcast network late-night hosts — Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, and Jimmy Fallon — drew criticism in particular during Donald Trump’s presidency for their stridently partisan tone.
Colbert, who took over The Late Show on CBS from David Letterman in 2015, was seen as the most political of the bunch, frequently railing at Trump and regularly interviewing politicians.
In 2018, Bee was forced to apologize after calling Ivanka Trump a ‘feckless c**t’ in an on-air rant.
Conservatives also complained about the political bent of Saturday Night Live on NBC, which has continued to focus its satire mostly on Republicans even with a Democrat in the White House.
Bill Maher, who hosts the weekly Real Time late-night show on HBO, has shown more willingness to break the mold, at times taking swings at liberals over issues he finds worthy of mockery.
Last week, Fox News launched a conservative rival to the late-night line-up, hoping to capitalize on discontent over the liberal bent of the late-night world and seize viewers who have tuned out from competitors.
Last week, Fox News launched a conservative late night show hosted by Greg Gutfeld
In his first week in the slot, Gutfeld posted strong ratings, beating all cable competitors as well as Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon on broadcast
Hosted by comedian Greg Gutfeld, the 11pm weeknight show blends a familiar mix of monologues and interviews, but focuses on skewering targets on the left.
In his first week in the slot, Gutfeld posted strong ratings, beating all cable competitors as well as Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on NBC.
Gutfeld! averaged 1.57 million total viewers and 307,000 in the key 25-54 age demographic, beating all other late-night shows aside from Colbert’s Late Show, according to Nielsen data.
In his column, Mann lamented that late-night comedians were unable to set their politics aside to focus on humor.
‘If you find yourself unable to laugh at something, unable to find anything worthy of satire — especially in a politician like Joe Biden — you may be blinded by your own worldview,’ Mann continued.
‘Good comedians set their point of view aside and write the best joke, the ‘point’ be damned.’
