B
efore the election, I admit I was going to take a
different angle to a piece about late night and the
election. I was going to talk about how the election
helped fill the void left at the top of the late-night space
from Jon Stewart leaving. Through coverage of the elec-
tion, comedians such as Samantha Bee and Seth Mey-
ers established themselves at the top of their game. But
over the past couple weeks, I’ve noticed myself turning to
these late-night comedians. Instead of thinking about the
new late-night pecking order, I’ve found myself working
through my emotions about the election by watching the
late night shows. It’s been cathartic to watch them work
through the same feelings I had and grapple with what the
next four years are going to be like.
One of the unsung heroes of the late-night space during
the 2016 election has to be Seth Meyers. When his show
debuted in 2014, it was fine. He wasn’t doing anything par-
ticularly special or different about it. But, in the summer
of 2015, Meyers made a transition. Instead of standing on
the stage giving a monologue, he moved behind the desk
and delivered jokes similarly to how he had on “Saturday
Night Live.” He was clearly more comfortable behind the
desk than standing on a stage, and it made watching him
more enjoyable. He then developed a segment called “A
Closer Look,” which is several minutes long and a sharp,
hysterical deep dive into issues like President-elect Donald
Trump’s predatory behavior or the presidential debates.
On his first post-election show, he was smart and reflec-
tive on both his past and what the future will bring. In the
monologue, he was clearly shaken by what happened, just
as I was. But, hearing him work through his emotions with
jokes made me laugh, which was exactly what I needed.
During this election cycle, one of late night’s strongest
and most powerful voices, “Full Frontal with Samantha
Bee,” premiered. Throughout the campaign, Bee’s sharp
jokes, often told with a seething rage, led to compelling
and hilarious TV. After the election, she went on the air
and talked about things like how scared her staff (the most
diverse in late night) is about the results of the election.
But, at the end of the segment, she went through some of
the positives to come out of the election, like historic elec-
tions of senators in Illinois and California. Like Meyers,
Bee ended on an optimistic note, which was exactly what
I needed to hear.
With the rise of Meyers and Bee, I found myself asking
a question: Is John Oliver still the best and sharpest voice
in late night? In his third season, Oliver continued doing
what he does best, and constantly had great lines about
Trump and how awful this election was. But, as the third
season went along, I found myself less interested in watch-
ing. I still saw every episode, but it was no longer the first
thing I watched on a Monday morning. His post-election
episode was as good as Bee’s or Oliver’s, but there’s some-
thing about his humor that feels less fresh than it used to.
One show I haven’t talked about yet is “Saturday Night
Live,” but I do want to mention them because of their cold
open from a couple weeks ago. It was simple: Kate McK-
innon as Clinton sitting at a piano singing “Hallelujah,” a
song written by Leonard Cohen, who passed away several
days after the election. After the election, the show had a
lot of pressure to do something. By doing this, it showed it
couldn’t do jokes as usual, and it nearly left me in tears. I
don’t exactly know why, but there’s something about McK-
innon singing one of my favorite songs and talking about
not losing hope that got to me.
For
the
past
couple
weeks,
I’ve
been
try-
ing
to
maintain
the
sense
of
optimism
that
drives who I am. I’m trying to have faith in this country
and faith in the American people. That’s particularly hard
in a time like this one, but it’s something I need to do. I
can’t let myself be broken by one night — and that’s made
it just a little bit easier watching comedians like Bee, Mey-
ers and Oliver attempt to hold Trump accountable on their
shows.
2B
Magazine Editor:
Karl Williams
Deputy Editors:
Nabeel Chollampat
Lara Moehlman
Design Editor:
Shane Achenbach
Photo Editor:
Zoey Holmstrom
Creative Director:
Emilie Farrugia
Editor in Chief:
Shoham Geva
Managing Editor:
Laura Schinagle
Copy Editors:
Emily Campbell
Alexis Nowicki
Taylor Grandinetti
the statement
Wednesday, November 30, 2016 / The Statement
TV and Me: The Election
B Y A L E X I N T N E R
the
tangent
EMILIE FARRUGIA/Daily
THOUGHT BUBBLE: EMPT Y BOWLS
“Profits from the empty bowls go to SOS
Community Services in Ypsilanti, which
provides temporary shelter and housing,
employment support, and other services to help
homeless families become self-sufficient again.
The sale is a way to raise interest in ceramics as
a medium while supporting the organization.
– Art & Design senior Emily Bromberg
ILLUSTRATION BY EMILIE FARRUGIA