# Today's Poll Question: With Colbert done, should late night TV get rid of political comedy?

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-smerconish-podcast-4474155/today-s-poll-question-with-colbert-done-should-late-night-tv-get-rid-of-political-comedy
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-smerconish-podcast-4474155/today-s-poll-question-with-colbert-done-should-late-night-tv-get-rid-of-political-comedy.md
Podcast: [The Smerconish Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-smerconish-podcast-4474155)
Published: 2026-05-22T12:30:23+00:00
Episode link: https://www.siriusxm.com
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/sxm.simplecastaudio.com/d49edecb-af71-4e40-b63b-f7bdc3faae1b/episodes/5c9b5713-a105-41bf-8dea-c6cd8585edcf/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=d49edecb-af71-4e40-b63b-f7bdc3faae1b&awEpisodeId=5c9b5713-a105-41bf-8dea-c6cd8585edcf&feed=Dv1m2CJC
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Duration seconds: 646

## Resource

Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Does political comedy make you more or less likely to watch late night television? Stephen Colbert signs off after more than a decade hosting The Late Show, triggering debate over whether political comedy helped sustain late night television or accelerated its decline. Michael examines CBS’s explanation that the show was losing tens of millions annually, the political backlash surrounding Colbert’s exit, and the larger question of whether audiences still want partisan humor as part of their nightly routine. He also shares highlights from his interview with media mogul Byron Allen, who is taking over the time slot with a comedy-first approach deliberately free of politics. Can late night succeed again by simply trying to make people laugh? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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## Transcript

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