Daytime and evening talk shows and late-night comedy shows have played an important role in recent electoral campaigns, as candidates have become more willing—in some cases, even eager—to talk about their campaigns with the hosts of entertainment shows in addition to being interviewed by more traditional news outlets. Soft news is news presented under the guise of entertainment; the emphasis is often on candidates and their personal lives rather than their policy positions, and the atmosphere tends to be more congenial than confrontational.
Presidential candidates appearing on late-night talk shows is a campaign custom reaching back to 1960, when Democratic nominee Sen. John F. Kennedy and Republican nominee Richard Nixon each appeared, at different times, on the old Tonight Show with host Jack Paar. Other candidates and prospective candidates would follow precedent. Robert Kennedy first appeared on the Jack Paar Tonight Show in 1964, and while he was not a candidate for the presidency at that point, it was well known that he was a name under consideration for future campaigns. He would later appear on The Tonight Show with new host Johnny Carson, and in 1967 and 1968, he appeared on the Merv Griffin Show and the Joey Bishop Show. During those appearances he was not an official candidate, but he would announce his candidacy in March 1968. During that 1968 campaign season, vice president and eventual Democratic nominee, Hubert Humphrey, appeared multiple times on the Dick Cavett and Joey Bishop shows, as well as appearing once on It’s Happening, a short-lived rock/pop variety show, and his rival Sen. Eugene McCarthy also made appearances on the Cavett, Bishop, and Mike Douglas shows. Other examples could also be listed, but the most politically and culturally significant instance of a political candidate being interviewed in a non-news setting occurred in the Campaign of 1992, when Democratic nominee Bill Clinton famously appeared on the Arsenio Hall Show and played his saxophone with the house band. Clinton also appeared on the youth-oriented MTV cable channel, where he even answered a question regarding the type of underwear he wore (boxers or briefs). Despite receiving criticism from some quarters for these appearances, they helped Clinton connect with young voters. Later, candidates began to take their cues from Clinton’s 1992 electoral success, becoming fixtures on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Live with Regis and Kelly, and The View. On occasion, appearances on such shows (or the lack thereof) can have serious political consequences for candidates. In the Campaign of 2008, John McCain notoriously canceled a September 24, 2008, planned appearance on Letterman’s program to help shepherd the TARP legislation through Congress; when Letterman discovered that despite this last-minute cancellation, McCain stayed in town to do an interview with Katie Couric, he was outraged, and he lambasted McCain each evening on his show. Three weeks later, and declining in the polls, a chastened McCain returned to Letterman and offered an apology.
Matthew Baum argues that political candidates are increasingly seeking exposure on these entertainment-oriented shows because fewer voters are watching evening news broadcasts or tuning in to presidential debates. Moreover, he suggests, news-oriented shows have become more negative, or critical, in their campaign coverage over time. This has pushed candidates toward media environments that are less threatening and less partisan, where they can also gain valuable exposure with an audience that historically has been less likely to vote. Engaging in friendly banter with Oprah Winfrey or Regis Philbin may enhance a candidate’s personal appeal among those potential voters who are most likely to cast their ballot on the basis of personal traits rather than policy issues. Indeed, Baum’s research finds that candidate appearances on soft news programs improve their likeability among opposite-party voters, whereas appearances on traditional news programs only enhance their image among members of their own party.
Soft news can also set the agenda for other news organizations. For example, in the fall of 2010, Jon Stewart mocked Senate Republicans who had blocked a bill that would have provided medical benefits to September 11 first responders. The bill had gotten scant mention in the news media, which changed after Stewart took up the cause of the first responders. Like Stewart, the news media was critical of the senators who were blocking the bill; the bill was passed shortly thereafter. Similarly, Stewart’s coverage of the Iowa straw poll in the early days of the Campaign of 2012 pointed out a glaring omission in news coverage of the event—while Republican hopeful Ron Paul came in second in the poll, he received zero media coverage. Candidates who finished much farther behind were covered more, as were two individuals who were not even in the race at the time (Sarah Palin and Rick Perry). The Paul campaign successfully used Stewart’s criticism to lobby news organizations for greater coverage.
Appearances on late-night television programming, particularly talk shows and comedy shows, remain a staple of presidential soft-news campaigning. Recently Stephen Colbert hosted Jeb Bush, Donald Trump, and Ted Cruz, for example, on his new version of Late Night. Hillary Clinton recently joined Jimmy Fallon to perform a comedy skit spoofing Donald Trump. No doubt many more candidates—most likely all of them—will eventually appear on these programs, especially as the campaign season moves into the actual upcoming primary and caucus schedule.
Baum, Matthew A. “Talking the Vote: What Happens When Presidential Politics Hits the Talk Show Circuit?” American Journal of Political Science 49 (April 2005): 213–234.
Baum, Matthew A., and Angela Jamison. “The Oprah Effect: How Soft News Helps Inattentive Citizens Vote Consistently.” Journal of Politics 68 (November 2006): 946–959.
Beam, Christopher. “No Joke: By Pushing for the 9/11 First Responders Health Bill, Jon Stewart Steps onto the Political Playing Field.” Slate, December 20, 2010.
Hagey, Keach, and Dan Hirschhorn. “Paul Scores Success in Media Assault.” Politico, August 25, 2011.
Parkin, Michael. Talk Show Campaigns: Presidential Candidates on Daytime and Late Night Television. Routledge Studies in Global Information, Politics and Society. New York: Routledge Press, 2014.