How Late-Night Hosts Reacted To 9/11, Compared To How They Reacted To Coronavirus

Comedy took a knee after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and understandably so. We gradually learned to smile, then laugh again in the days and weeks that followed. Late-night hosts helped lead the way.

David Letterman and Jay Leno took our hands and guided us back to a sense of normalcy, raising funds for the fallen and boosting our spirits in their own inimitable ways. Letterman, a liberal, even praised Republican New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s leadership from the comic’s “Late Show” perch on his first night back on duty.

“Rather than offer up a joke-filled monologue,” reported The New York Daily News, “Letterman spoke seriously and frequently praised Mayor Giuliani, also a regular guest. The show was focused on the tragedy, audience members said.”

President George W. Bush, often the target of left-leaning media outlets and stars, got a brief reprieve from partisan sniping. The country was in mourning, and late-night comics reacted accordingly. We were all Americans back then, red state or blue.

The situation today, in many ways, is dramatically different.

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