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