Judd Apatow Defends Late-Night TV After Colbert Exit
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- Judd Apatow publishes an essay in Rolling Stone advocating for the cultural necessity of late-night TV, following the end of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on May 21
- Stephen Colbert hosts his final episode of The Late Show, drawing 6.74M live + same-day viewers, marking the end of CBS’s late-night franchise begun by David Letterman
- Apatow reflects on Garry Shandling’s The Larry Sanders Show as a formative influence, calling it a profound metaphor for human vulnerability behind public personas
- Apatow praises current hosts like Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, and Seth Meyers for their ability to craft comedy amid national crises, including war and political turmoil
Why it matters: Late-night TV loses a flagship program with Colbert’s departure, and the 6.74M viewership underscores audience attachment. Apatow’s essay elevates the stakes beyond entertainment, positioning these hosts as irreplaceable public sense-makers in times of crisis.
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