NEWSVince Vaughn Blasts Late-Night Hosts as 'Agenda' Driven, Says They've 'Stopped Being Funny'
Actor Vince Vaughn blasted late-night television hosts, claiming they have ‘stopped being funny' because they've become 'agenda-driven.'
March 24 2026, Published 5:53 p.m. ET
Vince Vaughn didn't mince his words about why he believes late-night television has been "struggling."
"They never get it right," Vaughn, 55, said during an appearance on the "This Past Weekend" podcast on Tuesday, March 24. "Podcasts have gotten so much more popular with less production, less writers, less staff."
Vince Vaughn shared his views on late-night TV during an appearance on the 'This Past Weekend' podcast.
Vince Vaughn Blasts Late-Night TV Hosts' 'Agendas'
Vince Vaughn made several claims about why he believed late-night television was 'struggling.'
The conversation began after host Theo Von suggested that the ratings of late-night shows "have tanked" because a lot of jokes were targeted at "white redneck kind of people."
"People want authenticity. I think that the talk shows to a large part, became really agenda-based. They were going to evangelize people to what they thought," the Four Christmases actor explained. "People just rejected it because it didn't feel authentic. It felt like they had an agenda."
Vince Vaughn Said Late-Night TV Became the 'Same Show'
Vince Vaughn said late-night television 'stopped being funny.'
The Watch actor said the material "stopped being funny," claiming he began to feel like he was "in a f------ class" that he "didn't want to take."
"But if you look at what happened to the talk shows and why their ratings are low, its got only to do with the fact that they became the same show," Vaughn said in the interview. "They all became so about their politics, and who's good and who's bad."
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
Donald Trump Blasted Late-Night TV Hosts
Donald Trump slammed late-night host for 'horrible ratings' and 'gigantic salaries.'
Vaughn's comments follow a similar sentiment shared by President Donald Trump earlier this month, when he slammed late-night hosts for "horrible ratings" and "gigantic salaries" via his Truth Social account.
Trump’s latest rant targeted coverage of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, dragging late-night comedians into his wider media takedown. Trump, 79, praised FCC Chairman Brendan Carr for “looking at the licenses” of broadcasters who are allegedly abusing “FREE American Airwaves” and “perpetuat[ing] LIES,” singling out what he called “the Late Night Morons.”
Jimmy Kimmel Responded on Behalf of 'Late-Night Morons'
Jimmy Kimmel is known to exchange shots with Donald Trump.
Jimmy Kimmel, who is known to exchange shots with Trump, swiftly responded during the opening monologue of his show, telling his audience, "You know what? You’re welcome. I don’t know if you were thanking me, but you are welcome. On behalf of all my fellow late-night morons, you are welcome."
Claims of "horrible ratings" in late-night television don't fully align with recent data. CBS’s highly political The Late Show With Stephen Colbert averaged 2.43 million viewers for the week of March 1, an increase of 1 percent overall from the week before, and an increase of 5 percent in the key 18-49 demographic, according to a LateNighter analysis of Nielsen Live+3 ratings data.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! followed closely with 2.28 million, an increase of 5 percent from the week before, but the program led the key demo with 263,000 viewers.
