The funniest talk show hosts of all time

For decades, "The Tonight Show" was the lone late-night talk show option for comedy fans. Now, there's a plethora of talk and variety show offerings all over the TV landscape. From cable to networks, from serious political comedy to lightweight celebrity interviews, there truly is something for everyone. And that includes confrontational, anti-talk shows like Zach Galifianakis' "Between Two Ferns," which made the rare jump from talk show to feature film. Ranked in no particular order, here's a look at the funniest talk show hosts of all time.

Yes, David Letterman came up with innovations like the Top 10 list, Stupid Human Tricks and Will It Float?, but Letterman’s defining characteristic as a talk show host was being cool. He didn’t seem to take the role of host overly seriously, which is why some of his most memorable celebrity interviews involved Dave hanging back while his guests acted out – a profane Madonna, Joaquin Phoenix doggedly remaining in character for an ill-advised movie project, fiesty Crispin Glover — and Dave calmly jabbing back. But he was at his best when he was endangering Rupert Jee's life. Letterman's influence is obvious with most of the talk show hosts who have succeeded him on network shows, and Dave's style can be seen everywhere, just not at the Oscars.

Zach Galifianakis hosts "Between Two Ferns," the most awkward anti-talk show of all time, where he interviews/insults celebrities and sitting American presidents. But before that, he had "Late World With Zach," a talk show that ran for 36 episodes on VH-1 in 2002. The show had a Zach-style monologue, where he’d play the piano and throw out non sequiturs, and sketches, like the time he performed standup for kindergarteners. It also featured a then-unknown Bradley Cooper as a guest, seven years before they co-starred in "The Hangover," and Kevin Federline before he was married to Britney Spears, still his primary career accomplishment. "Between Two Ferns" also became a movie in 2019, featuring (SPOILER ALERT) the tragic death of both ferns.

Before he took over “The Late Show,” Conan was a relative unknown, a writer for "Saturday Night Live” and "The Simpsons,"  where he authored some of the show's most memorable episodes, including the one where Springfield builds a monorail. As a host, he brilliantly used Andy Richter, late night's best sidekick (apologies to Ed McMahon) and continually employed hilarious repertory performers, from Amy Poehler to Jon Glaser to Triumph, the insult comic dog. His best bits are consistently absurd, like Pimpbot 5000, and GE Satellite Channels, an excuse to throw together insane, high-concept 15-second sketches. But Conan shines the most when he puts himself in the middle of remote pieces, like his road trip to Armenia and the time he played Old Timey Baseball, which is possibly the greatest moment in late night history.

It’s crazy to think about this now, but for Jon Stewart’s first years as a talk show host, on MTV, his own syndicated show, and a fictionalized version of himself on “The Larry Sanders Show,” Stewart was not particularly political. When he took over “The Daily Show, Stewart turned it from a goofy newsmagazine parody to what became, for better or worse, an essential news source of both comedy and news for Americans. Stewart was a tough interviewer, even managing to decimate Tucker Carlson’s early career on Carlson’s own show, but he was also a generous performer, letting his correspondents shine. It’s no coincidence that "Daily Show" alumni include future talk show hosts Stephen Colbert, Samantha Bee and John Oliver, plus a promising young actor named Steve Carell. After eight years away and his own ill-fated show on Apple TV+, Stewart returned to his old job at "Daily Show" - but for Monday nights only.

Stephen Colbert spent many years hosting “The Colbert Report” in character as a firebrand conservative commentator. It’s not as memorable as the fictional Stephen, but Colbert does fine hosting “The Late Show” on CBS as himself. It’s a testament to Colbert’s inherent sweetness that he could pull off being the Bill O’Reilly-esque character every night but still have tender moments like bringing Dolly Parton on to sing a duet. One of his most audacious projects was ”Better Know A District,” where Colbert interviewed, angered, and even leg wrestled members of Congress. During the Donald Trump era, Colbert's "Late Show" has become more confrontational and political, even though the "Colbert Report" guy would have loved The Donald.

Jay Leno not only hosted "The Tonight Show" on NBC for more than two decades, but he was also the go-to comedian for any movie that needed a fake topical joke. You can see Leno making a joke about the president in “Dave” about the aliens in “Contact” and the old astronauts in “Space Cowboys.” Jay is a man of the people, as evidenced by his love of classic cars and denim, and also why he wasn't too proud to also cameo in “Juwanna Mann." Leno might not have been as groundbreaking or creative as some of the performers on this list, but he is easily the best when it comes to bringing out dancing judges or reading weird headlines out of the newspaper.

Steve Allen developed and hosted the original first version of “The Tonight Show” and essentially invented the late-night talk show format. “Tonight Starring Steve Allen” was the first show to lead off with a monologue, it was anchored by celebrity interviews and also had remote bits shot outside of the studio. The show was a victim of its own success, since strong ratings led NBC to give Allen his own prime-time variety show and ultimately leave “Tonight” entirely. Why stay up so late when you don't have to?

Allen's "Tonight show" successor, Jack Paar, prided himself on emphasizing the "variety" part of "variety show," like when he had Muhammad Ali on, reciting poetry while accompanied by Liberace at the piano. The stress of producing a daily program of nearly two hours got to Paar, who once walked off the set in the middle of a show as a protest over NBC censors cutting a joke. He came back a few weeks later, beginning with “as I was saying before I was interrupted.” He went on to explain, “I believe my last words were that there must be a better way of making a living than this. Well, I've looked...and there isn't." Paar was ultimately promoted out of late-night, going on to host a variety show in prime time for three years.

Twenty years ago, it was wildly controversial that Ellen DeGeneres came out of the closet on her sitcom, prompting a slew of magazine covers and advertiser boycotts. Now Ellen has taken Oprah’s daytime talk show throne and felt like the sweetest, most wholesome comedian out there, with a show full of celebrities in costumes, adorable little British girls going on adventures and Ellen's dance moves, which are also pretty sweet. That is, until people found out about the toxic culture backstage at her show. Still, she's also the only talk show host ever to voice a fish in two blockbuster animated films.

It’s a strange development that Jimmy Kimmel, the man behind “Crank Yankers” and “The Man Show,” briefly became our moral authority on health care, with a series of emotional monologues after his newborn son needed heart surgery. Kimmel’s bread-and-butter is still discussing pop culture and convincing parents to videotape themselves pranking their children, but he’s also fearless. No one else would have devoted an entire hour of his to the late Rob Ford, the embattled former Toronto mayor. And no one else would have produced an elaborate music video about his then-girlfriend hooking up with Matt Damon, capping off a long-running fake feud and then following it up with a Ben Affleck sequel.

Seth Meyers is the most successful example of a performer using "SNL" Weekend Update experience as a springboard to a talk show. In fact, his version of "Late Night" ditched the traditional standup monologue and placed Meyers at his desk, just like on Update. Meyers may have trouble finding the show's identity without Donald Trump, and he is indulgent of his former "SNL" co-stars, but Meyers is starting to come into his own as an individual performer. He's always been a great straight man (especially to Stefon) but the show's recent day drinking segments let Meyers really cut loose, to the delight and frustration of his celebrity companions.

Rosie O'Donnell's first daytime talk show was brimming with childlike glee. Her desk was full of toys, Rosie would shoot Koosh balls into the audience, and an appearance by someone like Tom Cruise would make her completely lose her mind with excitement. O'Donnell filled the show with regular Broadway numbers and even got Barbra Streisand to do multiple interviews. Her stints on "The View" weren't quite as funny, probably due to the lack of Koosh.

Johnny Carson was truly the Babe Ruth of late-night comedy. Sure, it was a different era when he started at "Tonight," and maybe there wasn't as much competition as there is these days, but he dominated and defined the late-night talk show for decades. He also hosted the Oscars a whopping 18 times. Johnny, sidekick Ed McMahon and band leader Doc Severinsen stayed together for 30 years, which is longer than Elizabeth Taylor was married to all seven of her husbands combined.

Garry Shandling was already a good talk show host when he started filling in for Johnny Carson. Instead of graduating to his own late-night show, Shandling created and starred in "The Larry Sanders Show" as the titular late-night host. Shandling showed the backstage show behind the television show, which Shandling displaying every bit of Larry’s neuroses, vanity, vindictiveness and vulnerability. ln what was a departure for most sitcoms of the time, it had no laugh track, hand-held cameras shooting on film and no studio audience, although it could’ve used a big sign that says "Applesauce." No, no, we're kidding. It would say Applause.

When Jon Stewart took a hiatus from “The Daily Show” to direct a film, John Oliver filled in, and it quickly became clear that he was too good to remain just a correspondent. With “Last Week Tonight” on HBO, Oliver has the platform for extended investigative comedic bids on subjects ranging from charter schools to Syrian refugees to anything that gives him an opportunity to make fun of New Zealand . But along with the deadly serious news topics, he still finds time to bring on recurring characters like Jeff the Diseased Lung to buy up every item from a Russell Crowe divorce auction. Crowe responded by pledging money for a Koala Chlamydia Ward and naming it after Oliver.

Joan Rivers was Johnny Carson's favorite guest host and even a possible successor before he turned on her because she got her own show on Fox. The show didn’t last long, but Rivers was banned from "The Tonight Show" for life, which inexplicably continued through the Jay Leno era, nine years past Carson's death. As she always did in her career, Rivers subsequently picked herself up and went on to an extended television career, winning an Emmy for her own daytime talk show. Later she administered harsh justice of her own with "Fashion Police" on E!

Jimmy Fallon’s debut as “The Tonight Show” host was an overwhelming success, with ratings going through the roof for bits like Slow Jam The News and Wheel of Impressions and forcing celebrity guess to play beer pong. Fallon leans on some of his signature bits from "SNL," including singing parody songs and giggling uncontrollably through entire segments. He’s also the reason that many networks have decided that their late-night talk show host needs to be able to sing. You’re welcome, James Corden.

"Da Ali G Show" featured Sacha Baron Cohen conducting interviews in character as idiot B-Boy Ali G. The deception took in political figures like Newt Gingrich, who was asked to weigh in on whether a theoretical female president would fall in love with Saddam Hussein. Cohen followed it up with the films “Bruno” and “Borat” where he antagonized people in character, so you’d think no one would fall for the tricks again. Think again. On his most recent TV show, “Who Is America?,” Cohen managed to get a congressman from Georgia to yell racial slurs and expose himself, which means he probably has a job waiting for him with Rudy Giuliani.

Arsenio Hall was Johnny Carson’s first serious challenger in late night in years and proved there was an urban audience not being reached by Johnny, Ed and Doc. He had a whooping audience, musical support from the Dawg Pound and “Things That Make You Go Hmmmm...” still the only comedy sketch to inspire a song by C&C Music Factory. Ultimately Chevy Chase was responsible for Hall losing his show, as the five-week run of Chase’s show cost Hall his time slots on many Fox affiliates.

Eric Andre’s talk show is the spiritual heir to "The Arsenio Hall Show," if it aired on public access with no budget, and the writers, host and audience members were all on mushrooms all the time. Along with sidekick Hannibal Buress, Andre deconstructed the talk show and literally broke the set during the introduction of each show. It’s absurd, it’s surreal and it’s the only late-night talk show where the sidekick derisively heckles the host’s monologue.

If you like your talk show comedy to be erudite and literate, the "Dick Cavett Show" was the one for you in all its various incarnations over the years. Cavett was a deft interviewer who could talk rock music with Jimi Hendrix and theater with Noel Coward with equal dexterity and elicit humor from difficult subjects like Orson Welles, who eventually started interviewing Cavett himself midway through their show. It's worth checking out a delightfully strange Cavett segment with Salvador Dali, who brings an anteater out with him on set.

Another "Daily Show" alumnus who went on to wild success hosting her own show, Samantha Bee's "Full Frontal" is a thoughtful, politically oriented show that dispenses with guest interviews. That gives more time for painstakingly researched segments like this conspiracy theory, which makes a convincing case that President Trump doesn't know how to read.

Chris Rock can do anything he wants: He's one of the greatest standups of all time, he's a solid actor who's about to take the lead in the fourth season of "Fargo" and you know he can make a great talk show. "The Chris Rock Show" combined sketches, insightful interviews — the first show featured Johnnie Cochran — and also fake interviews with cast members like Mario Joyner and Wanda Sykes. You know it's a legit show because it had both Gumbel brothers on within the first six episodes.

At the tender age of 14, Jake Fogelnest already had his own talk show on NYC public access television. "Squirt TV" was filmed in Fogelnest's bedroom and managed to attract guests like Kevin Smith, Liz Phair, Beck and Mike D and the Wu Tang Clan. Fogelnest went on to build an impressive career in comedy, writing for "Billy On The Street" and "Difficult People" and was the showrunner for the first season of "Corporate."

Chris Farley periodically hosted The Chris Farley Show on SNL, which was like a good-hearted "Between Two Ferns." “Jeff Daniels is one of the greatest actors...around...I guess.” Full of crippling discomfort, has no idea where a sentence will end up when he starts it, and he’s clinging to his vague idea of what a talk show host should do. It’s a thrilling combination of dumb questions about whether the subjects remember their own careers, angry self-flagellation and acknowledgement that many things were indeed “awesome.”