Jokes on Late-Night Shows Often Come From Freelancers

Because so many staff writers on late-night shows have gone on to write movies and other high-profile gigs, many of us picture a collective of diligent young writers behind every monologue we see on Letterman or Leno. As it turns out, the L.A. Times reports, that often isn’t the case.

In what the paper calls an “open secret,” many well-placed freelancers send in jokes to late-night shows, where, if used, they earn $75 to $100 each. The practice is a clear violation of WGA union rules, but it’s rarely called out, mostly because the freelancers are simply happy to have the work and exposure, even though they don’t technically get credit.

Most freelancers apparently find a back door to submit material after internships or other affiliations with certain shows. The head writer on The Daily Show said the practice is “not a bad way for people running shows to test new writers out under something approaching real show-making deadlines.”

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