Come on, folks. Give it up for late-night TV.
Put away all that weeping, moaning, and rending of garments about this great American entertainment form being threatened with extinction.
At least on a night devoted to celebrating a major sports championship, questioning a grand peace memo (of understanding), and mocking the takeover of the White House by half-naked men firing fists and feet at each other.
How could this be a dead enterprise?
The essential role played by the late-night comedy show has always been to seize on the events of the day and render them funny, or at least comically rueful.
Across much of late night Monday, the stars of the form fashioned something like a classic expression of it.
It was can’t-miss: ride the wave of euphoria and craziness sweeping over New York following the win by the long-woebegone Knickerbockers; then segue into skewering the president of the United States for concocting a ceasefire agreement with Iran that was so unclear it might as well have been behind a shroud to match the one thrown over the name(s) on the front of the Kennedy Center; and finish it off with target practice at the bilious display of fisti-and-toesi-cuffs on the White House lawn.
You had it all in the presidential takedowns of Jon Stewart and Jimmy Kimmel, balanced by a party of congratulations for the New York Knicks executed by Jimmy Fallon. Farce and fun for everybody.
The Knicks could not be ignored. All three of those hosts had been rooting for the Knicks to finally win a championship, so of course they were going to rejoice. Fallon went all in, with orange and blue balloons, the host in a blue suit with an orange tie, and every single player on the stage.
It was an ideal choice for Fallon, who does best when he gets his fun on. And he did well interviewing some legitimately enthused Knicks, from coach Mike Brown to stars Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson. Not to mention the consistently deadpan OG Anunoby.
You could not fault Fallon for jumping on the Knicks mania. The team had been helping Kimmel’s ratings throughout the finals. Why shouldn’t he get a little of that sweet Knicks adjacency?
Stewart and Kimmel gave the Knicks big love too, but they also could not ignore the torrent of Trump-oriented news over the same weekend. That’s what they do best.
Kimmel played clips of UFC fighters getting ready for Trump’s big birthday fight night on the lawn by warming up in the Cabinet Room and the Oval Office, and declared that the event had “all the refinement and prestige of a Hooters at the Vatican.”
He played a clip of Trump looking like he was dozing off Octagon-side. “Only Donald Trump could fall asleep at a birthday party sponsored by Monster Energy Drink.”
Did Kimmel’s audience boo Donald Trump? Of course they did.
Mention of that name fared no better on The Daily Show. Jon Stewart muted that as best he could, because he had a complete, almost symphonic melody that he played throughout his long monologue.
It was all Iran deal in the overture. But that was just prelude to Knicks exaltation. Stewart reveled in the win, which he was thrilled to share with a massive crowd outside in the city.
Stewart, who has been in peak form this season, then wove the city’s victory explosion into a pointed, comic—and very funny—essay about the joy of a big city celebrating together, in all its messy, sometimes extralegal, but overwhelmingly joyous glory.
“The whole moment really showed the joy and beauty of life in this big city,” Stewart said. “I don’t think there’s anyone out there who could look at those celebrations and see anything other than America at its best.”
Well, of course there were exceptions. Clips from Fox News, Newsmax, and other MAGA media showed people setting fire to a school bus and other acts of random vandalism—to the horror of the anchors.
Stewart called them out, saying what he saw was an overwhelming sense of joy and solidarity and diversity and community. “And we are just so sorry, right-wing media, that we couldn’t live up to your definition of a peaceful gathering.”
And there came the clips of mayhem on Jan. 6, 2021. “Though to be fair to that mob, they lost.” Stewart delivered that all-beef joke with extra relish.
And what would those on the right rather be watching? The punch-out at the People’s House, of course.
“What a god-awful mockery of an event that somehow managed to devalue both combat sports and our national dignity.” Stewart was loaded up then, and he was willing to risk putting his money where his mouth was.
“Who even dared to air this embarrassing shit?” he asked. Of course it was Paramount+, the streaming service owned by his network’s corporate parent. For a laugh, he pretended to shrink in fear at the implication of attacking his bosses. “I am proud to stand with the Paramount family and whatever shows they decide to cancel or put on.”
Even the one this weekend that ended with a repulsive smear of Michelle Obama?
No way. “My God, what a f***ing asshole,” Stewart said of the boor who uttered that slur. “I look forward to his performance on next week’s Comics Unleashed.”
Tweaking the corporate bosses? That’s a memorable late-night moment for you.
Jon Stewart had thoughts on the UFC Freedom 250 fight at the White House—right up until he was reminded it aired on Paramount+. pic.twitter.com/msbPGKLVEw
— LateNighter (@latenightercom) June 16, 2026
Stewart valorized the glory of living in a big, messy, high-energy city, but leavened the lofty words with jokes.
He also said some meaningful stuff.
“New York’s a hard place to live, man,” he said. “But that’s why weekends like the one we just had are all the more magical.”
“The real division in America,” he said, “is between people anywhere who find joy in community versus those who seem to only find it in fealty.”
Cut to Trump being embraced by a guy in a boxing glove.
Great weekend for New York; great night for the genre called late-night.
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Great feature, Bill. The Knicks’ win really gave us the best of late night’s functionality in this modern day, and the best part of this moment is that it’s gonna continue long past the Monday episodes. I know Seth Meyers wasn’t mentioned despite the fact his Closer Look did cover the victory and he did have a former Knicks player sit down for an interview, but I am happy he gets to carry the joy the rest of the week w/the remaining guest line-up.
It also proved that despite pushback and brutal editorials slamming him, I kinda have to give Fallon The Tonight Show it’s tiny flowers for the way they planned the Monday episode by leaning HARD on the Knicks fanaticism. Aside from his collab w/Strike Force 5 (or really ANY late night host collab), Fallon thrives the most when rarities of joy like the Knicks come around and he can lean on that for a whole episode. It came to the point that people who don’t wanna watch him in general will have to tune in so they can feel the momentum of the Knicks’ victory lap.
You can bash Fallon for being a banal horror, and BY GAWD his show has committed cardinal sins for booking the worst guests, but when he and his show taps into the pop culture, you can’t resist the temptation to see if he ‘kills’ the culture despite his enthusiasm. At least he acknowledges the culture compared to whatever Comics Unleashed could offer; like, you will never see that show or Byron Allen EVER be mentioned in the weekly conversation unless it does something banal and recent that could affect local affiliates.
He, and CBS rightfully deserve the bashing from John Oliver and now recently Jon Stewart.
Anyways, everyone needed at least one glimmer of joy to counter the chaos and misery here in the US, not just the Knicks fans and NYC, so cheers to the Knicks and this feature~🏀🥂
“Stewart delivered that all-beef joke with extra relish.”
Chef’s kiss.