Late Night Last Week: Ted Danson Didn’t Realize Larry David Hated Him
When Ted Danson appears on late night television, one must stop and watch. Show possibly the greatest male comedic performer in the history of the medium some respect. Can you think of a more prolific one? We’re working on, what, the fifth straight decade with a good or popular Ted Danson sitcom in it? (Yes, we’re side-eying you and your six seasons, Becker.) Plus, he’s pretty funny, too.
As part of the press tour for his new miniseries, A Man on the Inside, Danson appeared on the November 20th episode of Late Night with Seth Meyers to chat about the birth of his first grandson, meeting Mary Steenburgen, and his illustrious career. Naturally, Curb Your Enthusiasm was discussed.
Meyers asked about the show’s well-known improvisational nature. Danson admitted that he almost never read any scripts before the shoot. A pro’s pro. This led to quite the shock on set early in his tenure on Curb. While waiting to enter a scene, he overheard the fictional Larry David talking. It was only then that he realized the ‘Ted Danson’ he was playing on the show was, in fact, Larry’s enemy. He was shocked. “I went to Jeff Garlin and he was like, You don’t know?” Danson remembered. “You’re the worst person in the world. Larry hates you.”
Fans of the show will know that Steenburgen also appears as herself on the program. But eventually, she and Danson divorce and he begins dating Larry’s ex-wife, Cheryl (Cheryl Hines). Danson said that when that happened on the show, friends began to call them in real life asking if they had, in fact, gotten a divorce. “They would go, Oh my God,” Danson said. “And Mary would go, Yeah right, we decided to announce it on a sitcom.” Hey, for the Sitcom King, it would be kinda fitting.
After Midnight Tackles the Paul-Tyson Fight
While other late night programs were busy promoting the Netflix fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson last week, Taylor Tomlinson and her guests over at After Midnight had fun shooting the proverbial barrelled fishes. On November 19, they roasted the sad and problematic nature of the bout. “Morally, they were pretty well matched,” Tomlinson said, “but physically, this was not a fair fight.”
The phrase “Netflix and Chill” is among the most well-known in the 21st century English lexicon. Tomlinson played a clip of the fight’s announcer offering a new take on the concept in the context of the fight: “It’s time to Netflix and Thrill.” “The internet thought this was cringe,” Tomlinson said, “but as a show that celebrates puns, I must encourage this behavior.” She then invited her panelists to introduce another event in the same style.
Bob the Drag Queen rang in first with “unlicensed therapists who give terrible advice: Netflix and Dr. Phil.” Then, Matt Rogers, who announced his father had recently died, chimed in:“It’s time to Netflix and Read the Will.”
Jason Kelce Talks Late Night Influences
Speaking of athletes, perhaps the biggest piece of late night news from last week came from ESPN. Former NFL lineman and the world’s most famous brother Jason Kelce will host a five-episode late night program from January 3, 2025 through the NFL playoffs. The program will air on Friday nights and, in a press release, explicitly cited classic late night programming as an influence.
To plug the new program, Kelce appeared on another Disney-owned entity, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, to discuss the news. Say what you will about the Kelce show, but we cannot deny: the man has good late night taste. “I love late night shows,” he said. “I remember sleepovers watching Conan O’Brien with my friends.” Well played, sir. Well played. O’Brienies rise up. And get pumped for the Oscars, baby.
Jon Stewart On Failures to Meet the Moment
Let us end with our pals over at The Daily Show. You didn’t think we’d get this far without talking about #CurrentEvents, did you? One of the crazier stories in the echo chamber of cable news is the decision of MSNBC hosts (and spouses) Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski to visit with the president elect down in Mar-a-Lago after years of calling him a fascist, etc., etc., blah, blah, blah, so it goes.
Many have called it a cowardly capitulation by the already rich and powerful—and Stewart was no exception. The great actor that he is, Stewart opted to deal with the controversy by putting on a one act play: “Mr. President, your rhetoric is outrageous! I cannot in good conscience… Oooo! Are those macaroons?!”
The bit was part of a larger monologue on how even those who are supposedly the resistance to Trump’s return to power are deeply delusional and ill-equipped to deal with the current moment. The entire monologue is well-worth a watch.
Michael Kosta On How To Profit Off Trump
No one is better at playing an asshole political pundit and, in this case, TV financial analyst than Michael Kosta. And this latest segment, “Kosta Doin’ Business,” in which he plays a guy straight out of CNBC, is no exception. As if times weren’t bleak enough, Kosta breaks down all the stocks that have been surging since Trump was re-elected: fossil fuels, dentistry companies (see ya later fluoride in the water!), and private prisons.
“If profits off prisons are a crime, well then, lock me up. And if being filthy rich is a crime, then throw away the key,” Kosta said. “And if vehicular manslaughter is a crime, oh, I guess I’m in a lot of trouble uh-oh.”
Kosta also sees the climate change business as a great revenue stream. He’s investing in raincoats, hats, and galoshes. “Rule of thumb,” Kosta advised, “if Paddington wears it, I’m buying it.”
Will DiGravio is a Brooklyn-based critic, researcher, and late night comedy columnist, who first contributed to Paste in 2022. He is an assistant editor at Cineaste, a GALECA member, and since 2019 has hosted The Video Essay Podcast. You can follow and/or unfollow him on Twitter and learn more about him via his website.