As the golden age of late-night television appears to be a thing of the past, Sean Hannity believes Stephen A. Smith can carry it back to prominence.
You might have a favorite late-night host that you regularly check their social media feed for clips or watch their show. But even if you’re a fan of Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel or Stephen Colbert, let’s face it, the days, or nights, of late-night shows being must watch TV are long gone. It’s reflected in their influence as compared to that of podcast hosts, and it’s reflected in their ratings.
Will it ever bounce back? According to Hannity, it will if Stephen A. Smith enters the conversation. Smith joined Hannity on his new Fox Nation series, Sean this week. And during the conversation, Hannity pitched the idea of Bob Iger replacing Kimmel with Smith.
“Kimmel keeps saying late-night television is going away,” Hannity said. “I think you could save it, and I’ll tell you why. Because one night you would have on Robert De Niro, hates Trump. The next night you’d put on me or the great one, Mark Levin and you’d let us all talk. And you’re funny naturally and then they’d have 30 writers that make you funnier.”
Part of the problem with late-night TV is recycled guests like Robert De Niro or Mark Levin, but point taken. Smith guest hosted Kimmel’s late-night show on ABC in 2021. And for years, Smith has said he would like to be Kimmel’s heir apparent. While Smith still has an interest in late-night, he no longer broadcasts as strong of a desire to take Kimmel’s job, instead pitching the idea of moving his own YouTube show to a network.
“I want to build my YouTube show into potentially a network or a cable news show,” Smith admitted. “I love stuff like that…I’m a fan of Bill Maher, I’d love to do a show like him or what Jon [Stewart] does on The Daily Show…I like discussing serious issues. But most importantly, I love the thought of having a Chris Cuomo on one day and Sean Hannity the next. I want people to know that when you come to me, I’m gonna be fair.”
Late-night hosts and shows lack much surprise or edge and can feel redundant. But part of their issue is in the way media is consumed. Maybe Smith can breathe life into a late-night show, or maybe he’s just better off continuing to implement everything he’d like to as a late-night host, into his own brand and platform on YouTube.
