Does anyone really care about formal sit-down interviews anymore where you have to tirelessly grudge through the questions deemed appropriate by each celebrity’s publicist? With our generation paving the way for a casual lifestyle, not restrained by the old formalities of the past, it is no wonder most people are not tuning in for any of the late-night Jimmy specials anymore.
Over the past few years, we have seen a rise in the increase of much more relaxed interviews, in the settings of podcasts and YouTube segments, such as Chicken Shop Date with Amelia Dimoldenberg and Hot Ones with Sean Evans. Unlike their late-night predecessors, both shows and interviewers allow celebrities a chance to showcase their unique personalities and show the world a side of them that is not picture-perfect. The Hollywood star used to be untouchable, an idealised figure who had been primped and preened into something that the everyday person could only dream of being or knowing. But these shows begin to break that untouchable barrier down. People crave relatability and this is what these shows provide.
It cannot be understated TikTok’s impact on this new phenomenon of modern interviews. TikTok is singlehandedly raising a generation of scrollers who ingest content in one-minute increments. There is no need for countless of hour-long interviews in a series of press tours and promotions. All anybody cares about is the best bits: which they can find already curated on TikTok. With Hot Ones averaging at 20 minutes per episode and Chicken Shop Date at under 10, there is no need for a highlight reel; the final product is one. Not only has it allowed the viewer a chance to connect with the guest, but it takes up almost none of their time at all, letting them quickly move on to the next piece of content.
Even podcasts like Call Her Daddy and the Zach Sang Show exemplify the want for casual interviews in a longer style, one that can sound like two friends having a conversation. Both podcasts mentioned have had guests such as Kamala Harris, Ariana Grande, and Post Malone, with Call Her Daddy amassing 1 million subscribers.
So, does this mean the end of late-night TV for good? Probably not, but one thing is for sure: late-night TV is not getting any more popular, and the sales of podcast equipment is definitely on the rise!
“File:Late Night with Jimmy Fallon street sign (3390453371).jpg” by Marianne O’Leary is licensed under CC BY 2.0.