When Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver launched Strike Force Five in August 2023, it was welcome news for viewers who had been without late-night television for nearly four months.
With their shows dark during the writers strike, the five hosts came together to launch a podcast benefiting their out-of-work staffs.
The fact that it would be funny was never really in doubt. Freed from broadcast standards and nightly formats, the hosts rambled, swore, swapped war stories, and relentlessly teased one another.
Mostly Jimmy Fallon.
If there was a recurring theme that defined the podcast, it was Fallon’s turn as the group’s favorite target. The others good-naturedly razzed him for failing to finish Moby-Dick, for eating pizza in bed, for believing the Snake River might function like a lazy river, and—most memorably—for his inept attempt to host a Newlywed Game-style segment featuring the hosts’ wives.
“I need segment producers so bad. And writers,” Fallon said through laughter as that segment unraveled.
The dynamic only sharpened what made the group work so well together.
Kimmel served as the deadpan ringleader. Colbert brought the energy of an enthusiastic late-night historian. Meyers played the quick-witted observer. And Oliver, the lone premium-cable host, lobbed devastating one-liners from the sidelines.
Between jokes, the hosts pulled back the curtain on the mechanics—and anxieties—of making late night. They discussed set redesigns, celebrity interviews, disastrous pitches, network notes, and the pressure of creating topical comedy night after night.
Colbert presciently spoke about collecting souvenirs from canceled talk shows as a reminder that every host’s run is temporary. Oliver summed up the appeal of podcasting by noting that, unlike on his HBO series, he was free to say what they actually thought rather than what was merely “legally defensible.”
At times, the series also highlighted the very issues at the heart of the writers strike.
In one episode, Colbert played an AI-generated ad that convincingly mimicked the voices of his cohosts, vividly demonstrating why protections against AI had become a central issue in negotiations.
The guest list added another layer of significance.
Jon Stewart dropped by to reflect on the fleeting nature of topical comedy, likening late night to egg salad: no matter how good it is, eventually someone throws it out.
David Letterman offered his own perspective in a conversation that doubled as an affectionate oral history of the form.
The podcast ended in October 2023 after the writers returned to work, and for a time it seemed destined to remain a singular artifact of that unusual moment in television history.
That’s what makes Monday night’s reunion on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert so exciting. With Colbert preparing to sign off late next week, the gathering carries the feeling of a final, unexpected, encore.
For those who listened to the podcast, it promises a chance to revisit the chemistry that made Strike Force Five such a delight. How the battleworn hosts choose to address the elephant(s) in the room should be interesting for all.
