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Late-Night TV Goes Dark for Midterm Election Night
30 Oct
Summary
- No late-night shows will air live episodes on Tuesday, November 3.
- This breaks a 24-year streak of live election night broadcasts.
- Networks will air live news coverage instead of comedy shows.
Late-night television hosts will not offer live commentary on the upcoming midterm election results this Tuesday, November 3. This decision halts a 24-year tradition of broadcasting live episodes on election nights, a practice that began with Jon Stewart in 2002.
Major networks are opting for continuous news coverage. NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night With Seth Meyers, as well as CBS's shows, will be replaced by live election reporting. ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! will air a new episode, but it will be taped later than usual and is not guaranteed to be fully live, with potential interruptions for breaking news.
This year sees a complete absence of live late-night election reaction, a notable decline from recent years. In 2018, several shows provided live coverage. By 2022, only two programs broadcast live on election night. This trend culminates in 2026 with no live broadcasts planned.
