Photo: Lloyd Bishop/NBC via Getty Images
I suppose we first must speak on the BTS of it all. ARMY Twitter was aflutter with accusations that the warm-up comic for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon made a racist joke. Per TMZ, he said, “Anybody here from the North? No? Nobody?,” and fans interpreted that as being directed at the band, implying that one of them was from North Korea. It’s a particularly bad look considering how Arirang is all about affirming their South Korean identity in the face of global superstardom. That combined with fan complaints about how they were wrangled for the taping at the Guggenheim, and it was a rough 48 hours for the Jimin and Jimmy fans. As stan culture becomes more internationally coordinated, trying to tap into it becomes a dicier and dicier proposition. But we must pay respect where it is due: The bit where Fallon and the band surprised fans was both cute and elaborate. It involved rotating rooms, like the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland.
Another great piece of staging on The Tonight Show this week was Flea’s jazzy cover of Frank Ocean’s “Thinkin Bout You.” Whose idea was it to dress Flea’s band in the same $300-looking shirt? Was it Flea’s, or the director’s, or Donna from SNL’s? Either way, it really added something to the dramaturgy of the performance. Here’s who else popped in the proscenium this week in late night.
Look at Jon Stewart questioning the entire American imperial project on American TV. Jafar Panahi was right: One episode of The Daily Show would be grounds for execution in a more established dictatorship. Stewart was asking the big questions of former national security adviser Jake Sullivan (no relation to Jake Sully, but believe me, it was all I could think about for a while). He’s one of the guys who brokered the Iran nuclear deal — you know, the one Trump trashed in favor of war? And Stewart got Sullivan to kind of agree that China is outclassing us on the diplomatic PR tip. It’s always refreshing to see a late-night interview that is mature but also somewhat contentious and provides different perspectives in a way that doesn’t resemble cheap heat at a wrestling show.
Something I really appreciate about Last Week Tonight is its commitment to ephemera and asides. They’re the keys John Oliver jingles in front of you to keep your interest during a depressing or wonky subject. He loves to briefly detail the show with a tidbit, factoid, or bizarre sexual opinion about an animal or vegetable (shout-out to cabbage wife). This week, he took a few opportunities to remind us all about Meghan Trainor and her Spy Kids husband and how they have side-by-side toilets. It’s one of my favorite celebrity factoids ever, up there with Lisa Kudrow having a degree in biology from Vassar. It was exactly the pressure release needed for the unpleasant topic of police stings and why they should probably be illegal. Upset about the prison-industrial complex? Distract yourself with Meghan Trainor pooping.
Man, I miss Desus & Mero, but it’s always nice when I get to see one of them in late night. This week, the Kid Mero spoke to Josh Johnson about his new Hot 97 hosting gig, and it made me jealous of the morning commuters of New York City. I didn’t think that was possible. Mero is just so affable, and while imitating calls he’s gotten, I got the sense of what an excellent morning zookeeper he must be.
I love how Jimmy Kimmel Live! utilizes the resources closest to it, e.g., its staff. Need a new announcer? Writer Lou Wilson can do it. Need a sidekick? What about the security guard? What about a former Directioner superfan to freak out Niall Horan with their obsessive knowledge? We’ve got a staffer for that. Rachel handily trounced Horan with a quiz all about Niall Horan. She knew everything — including what his first Instagram pic was and how many dates his last tour had (87). “I promise I know all of this in a very, like, cool, normal way,” she said. “It’s not weird. It’s, like, a fun way.” Don’t worry, girl, we know you’re chill.
When Chris Fleming is on late night, you kind of just have to wind him up and let him go, and Late Night With Seth Meyers knows how to do exactly that. Meyers let Fleming riff for a crazy-long section of his couch time. Most of it was about how hot AP English horse girls would have found teen Seth. “Meanwhile, in my hometown, they were just trying to figure out the most humane way to put me down,” Fleming said. But the best part was when Meyers fact-checked Fleming’s special and said special’s derision of Meyers. “I bet you’ve never seen Seth Meyers do this kind of mic play,” Fleming said in Live at the Palace. Meanwhile, Meyers posed in the exact same way in his most recent spesh, Dad Man Walking. Interesting side note: Meyers called it “mic work” while Fleming called it “mic play.” That feels telling. Of what? Unclear, but telling nonetheless.
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