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PEOPLE & ARTS Monday 13 February 2017
Late-night comedy rushes in to the Trump era

DAVID BAUDER comments Trump made alone in thinking would
AP Television Writer about historical figure Fred- turn out differently.
NEW YORK (AP) — HBO’s erick Douglass. “We thought, OK, we all
ads promoting John Oli- “The Daily Show’s” Noah need to think about be-
ver on “Last Week Tonight” did a “Profile in Tremen- ing in a place where we’re
depict him cowering be- dousness” about Trump’s probably going to be quite
hind a desk, with the tag Supreme Court nominee, critical of a sitting presi-
line, “Scary times call for a Neil Gorsuch, mocking the dent,” she recalled. “What
scared man.” jurist’s story about crying does that mean for us? I
Be not afraid. Between when he first learned of the don’t know if it’s going to
Oliver’s return Sunday death of former Supreme change anything particu-
from a three-month hia- Court Justice Antonin Sca- larly, but it’s important for
tus and Donald Trump im- lia as “the whitest thing I’ve us to think about.”
personator Alec Baldwin’s ever heard.” Bee hasn’t soft-pedaled
stint hosting “Saturday “Daily Show” correspon- her comedy, and she re-
Night Live,” this was a big dent Hasan Minhaj has also cently announced plans
weekend in what has al- emerged as an important for a non-Trump alternative
ready been a promising voice, a Muslim comedian This image released by HBO shows John Oliver on the set of to this spring’s White House
start to the Trump era in at a time many Muslims “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.” Correspondents dinner, an
late-night comedy. Me- feel under attack. (Eric Liebowitz/HBO via AP) annual gathering of Wash-
lissa McCarthy’s imperson- Into this maelstrom steps show about Trump’s fam- time, both for the level of ington media with the pres-
ation of White House press Oliver. He’s made it a point ily name change from interest and on a level of ident and other elected
secretary Sean Spicer ex- in past years to say he “Drumpf” was one of last what the human soul can officials. But she has recog-
ploded on social media wanted to avoid the day- season’s highlights. sustain.” Oliver said that nized other views, like her
last weekend. Seth Mey- to-day tumult of politics, How much will Trump domi- “there’s a lot of low-hang- bid to find some common
ers and Trevor Noah are believing it best suited to nate his upcoming round of ing fruit with an administra- ground with conservative
nightly newscasters of the those with a nightly plat- shows? “We’ll work it out,” tion like this and you kind of commentator Glenn Beck.
absurd, Samantha Bee is form while he concen- he said. “I could lie to your have to reach past that.” The show also has to make
continuing her biting work trates on his investigative face again. I don’t know. Bee and her staff had a a special effort to find
and Stephen Colbert’s comedy. But some things We’re very anxious to not “what now?” meeting after some moments of joy each
opinionated topicality has are hard to resist, and his make it all Trump all of the an election they weren’t week, she said.q
rejuvenated his CBS show
in competition with NBC’s
Jimmy Fallon.
“We have to live in
(Trump’s) world now,” said
Steve Bodow, executive
producer of “The Daily
Show” on Comedy Cen-
tral. “We used to be able
to observe him, but now
we have to live in his world.
He’s taken the country hos-
tage, in a way.”
The mountain of mate-
rial has been daunting.
Bodow’s fellow execu-
tive producer, Jen Flanz,
likens the pace to cram-
ming for a different test
every day. Bee seemed
breathless recently telling
viewers, “Believe me, we
are not done,” and be-
seeching them to stick with
her through a commer-
cial break after compar-
ing confusion surrounding
Trump’s immigration order
to the “healthcare.gov of
Islamophobia.”
Once an occasional fea-
ture, Meyers’ “A Closer
Look” segment is like a
newspaper opened ev-
ery day at the top of his
show. There’s so much to
work with that he said he
toggles between “mul-
tiple Constitutional crises”
and “mundane, every day
weirdness,” like confusing