Why I Enjoy Late Night Political Satire

Oh no, here’s another 22 year old with an affinity for the liberal political media.

Yes, and I will tell you why; but first let’s start off with how I found myself drawn to this lovely little genre of media.

When I was a young’un, my father would watch The Daily Show with Jon Stewart in our living room and I would catch glimpses of it in passing. I heard Jon’s tone of mock aggression to political events which I wasn’t fully aware of at a young age but could tell were bad. I would say I understood about 30% of what was going on and yet I enjoyed it.

As time went on, I would sit on an adjacent sofa in the living room and watch the show with him, for the embarrassment of admitting that I liked the same thing that my father did. I watched as Jon hosted the show with his hot takes and sharp sense of humour, I watched as John Oliver stood in for him as he directed his movie and I watched his return which was short lived only to be replaced by Trevor Noah.

Years pass and I don’t pay much attention to the world of late night political comedy until a fateful day in 2013. A clip from the HBO series Last Week Tonight had landed on my YouTube homepage. John Oliver, why does that name sound so familiar? I clicked on it and to my surprise, it was the same John Oliver who had stepped in for Jon Stewart just years ago. I can’t remember what topic he was talking about but I just remember thoroughly enjoying myself. It had the similar brand of snarky comments about political topics and social issues as well as exciting graphics to accompany, all in a fashion that was similar to his predecessor but still felt uniquely his.

I spent the next few days combing through Last Week Tonight’s YouTube uploads, indulging in every word that was said, coupled with unique acts such as various people in costumes and animals gracing the stage.

Curious, I set out to find other hosts who were similar to Oliver. That’s when I remembered Trevor Noah. I heard that he had a bumpy start and wasn’t doing very well when he first started but by the time I had acquainted myself with him and his show, he had found his groove and made The Daily Show his own. It was incredibly entertaining to watch him take a fresh, modern spin on political ideologies and figures, most notably Tomi Lahren, a political commentator which Noah had criticised in the past. He invited her onto his show and allowed for a dialogue to happen in which each individual were, in a sense, representing their political affinities.

From Noah, I branched out to find Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, Samantha Bee and even newcomers such as Michelle Wolf and Hasan Minhaj, most of whom were correspondents on The Daily Show for both Jon Stewert and Trevor Noah before branching out and starting their own show.

In the words of Jon Stewart, there is something profound in “comedy based in ideological background”. It allows its viewers to see themselves and their beliefs materialised in a valid point of discussion as well as a punchline in which they are not the brunt of.

So what about it makes it so enticing? I believe it is the social commentary in a dry yet sarcastic take on everyday issues, the mocking of political figures and the appeal to an innate desire to cope with disaster with humour. Each late night comedian has found their own unique style of incorporating each factor into their shows, all except for Stephen Colbert and his impression of the 45th President of the United States.

Call me mean spirited but there was something just so entertaining about watching people make jokes and calling out the political figures and policies of the largest superpower in the world; for them to strip the rose coloured glasses off of me and show me what a disaster America really is while making me laugh. Or maybe I’m just a sucker for dark humour. It catered to my beliefs, my morals, my worldview while also appealing to my cynical sense of humour.

This was predominately prevalent in 2015, when a former game show host ran for president and actually became the Republican Party’s nominee. Everyone began to poke fun at him and his ideals, his looks, the numerous scandals, allegations and lawsuits filed against him. It was hard not to make fun of him and the circumstance at large. The jokes were right there, handed to them on a silver platter, with a little ketchup stain on the side. However, as time went on, Mr. “grab them by the p-” became President-Elect.

Remember when I said that my affinity for political satire stemmed from my father’s viewership of these “leftist” political commentary shows? He ended up supporting him instead and still does to this day.

As the years went on, these comedians proceeded to mock the Commander in Chief and his administration at every given chance with snark and satire. This was reminiscent of peak Jon Stewart and his commentary on the Bush Administration. Granted no one could emulate the same layered cynical jokes made by Stewart back in the day, it was still thoroughly enjoyable to watch.

It was perpendicular to the absolute clusterfuck of a newscycle which reported on the actions of an administration which had everyone on the edge of their seats and not in a good way. To refresh your memory, there was a period of time when North Korea threatened to nuke the United States and the President responded with “fire and fury”.

Growing up in the 2000’s, I was raised on a newscycle that rarely reported on anything positive apart from the daily nuanced piece of soft news. Terrorism, War, Illnesses, Corruption, The Great Depression, I could literally go on forever. It was nice to see people provide a humorous spin on it. Granted it was with a sense of nihilism, but it was still funny. It was cathartic. It made the news digestible.

Was this just a very long way of me saying I like dark, cynical jokes about powerful people? Perhaps, but the sentiment remains that I do enjoy the comedy stylings of late night political commentary shows. They make me laugh and they inform me about the news. What’s not to love?