Late Night with Trump

This is a serious book about political humor—but it’s also guaranteed to give you some hearty laughs. Steve Farnsworth and Bob Lichter have produced a thoroughly researched look at late-night comedy. We’ve come a long way since the gentle jokes of Johnny Carson. For good or ill, contemporary TV comics have a sharp, outsized role in shaping public perceptions of candidates and officeholders. This astute volume will have readers in stitches as they recall jokes and skits surrounding the 2016 election, and it is also an excellent primer as we head into 2020.

Larry J. Sabato, University of Virginia

Based on a massive content analysis of thousands of late-night political jokes from the past seven Presidential election cycles, Farnsworth and Lichter offer the most sweeping assessment of the evolution of late-night political humor that the field has seen to date. With national public opinion data alongside observations about the changing tone of late-night comedy under the Trump Presidency, Late Night with Trump: Political Humor and the American Presidency is an essential addition to the libraries of scholars and student of political communication and entertainment.

Dannagal G. Young, University of Delaware

There is little doubt that late-night television programming plays an important role in US politics, both as an opportunity for publicity for politicians, and as a source of humor and commentary about current politics. Drawing on an impressive body of data on the content of major late-night programs, Farnsworth and Lichter offer an important and fascinating account of the history, functions and impact of this television genre, with a focus on the recent Trump-fuelled peak in late-night political humor.

Stuart Soroka, University of Michigan

Late night humorists have become prominent political actors. In this timely and comprehensive work, Farnsworth and Lichter document how comics have emerged as a "second front" in the contentious relationship between politicians and the press and have exacerbated the culture of public ridicule. They demonstrate how changing news norms have facilitated the rise of political comedy and provide rich historical context that sets the stage for understanding late night humor focused on Donald Trump. The rich empirical analysis of both the content of late night comedy and its effects on the public adds rigor to the study and brings fresh insights to research in this field.

Diana Owen, Georgetown University

Late Night with Trump is must reading. It’s unmatched in its evidence and analysis and for what it reveals about Trump, our politics, and the blurred line between news and political humor. Farnsworth and Lichter have long been known for their rigorous and imaginative content analysis, and this book adds mightily to their richly deserved reputation.

Thomas E. Patterson, Harvard University