Late-Night Dog Shows Return, Fallen Quietly Toxic Workplace Reports

• The late-night talk shows are back after a five-month hiatus due to the writers’ strike.
• The hosts of the four major talk shows all tried to recap the biggest news of the summer.
• Jimmy Fallon did not respond to allegations of a toxic workplace on “The Tonight Show.”

Finally it was late at night.

In May, five major late-night talk shows hosted by Stephen Colbert, Jimmy FallonJimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and John Oliver were among several productions shut down after the Writers Guild of America (WGA) called for a strike.

On Monday, Fallon, Colbert, Kimmel and Meyers all returned to the airwaves after a hiatus. A deal was struck Between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

Kimmel and Colbert kicked off their shows with humorous cold openings to celebrate their earnings.

On “The Late Show,” Colbert, donning a fake beard and captain’s hat, pretended he’d been out at sea for most of the summer when a dolphin was told he had to go back to work after the strike was over.

On “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” the eponymous comedian was her guest to encourage Arnold Schwarzenegger to return as her therapist after a long hiatus.

“The Terminator” actor, of course, recited his famous lines, “I’ll be back” and “Get to the helicopter.”

While all the hosts took time in their monologues to thank and praise their writing staff and crew, another common theme was their attempts to cover all the big news from the summer.

Topics covered include a Delta flight returning to its original airport due to diarrhea, the dating rumors surrounding Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce, and the pop culture moment that makes the headline Barbenheimer.

“Ticket prices shot up more than 40% just on rumors that Tae-Tae might be at last night’s game. Before you couldn’t see Taylor Swift. Now you can’t see Taylor Swift watching something,” Colbert cracked, noting Swift’s appearance at Sunday’s Chiefs game against the New York Jets. did

Colbert, Kimmel and Meyers spent much of the show on political news, particularly teasing former President Donald Trump’s many impeachments over the summer, his arrest in August and the trials he faces.

Kimmel joked in his monologue: “Donald Trump was arrested four times while we were on strike. Once for classified documents, once for meddling in the election, once on January 6th, once for allegedly shooting Tupac.”

Fallon’s return to the screen was notable for making no mention of the toxic workplace allegations that plagued “The Tonight Show” last month.

In a Rolling Stone investigation published in September, two current and 14 former employees described a toxic work environment over the years, with employers including Fallon threatening to reduce employees to tears.

In a statement to Insider, an NBC spokesperson said at the time: “We’re incredibly proud of ‘The Tonight Show,’ and providing a respectful work environment is a top priority. As in any workplace, we’ve raised personnel issues; they’ve been investigated and action taken where appropriate. As always, our We encourage employees who experience or feel they have observed behavior inconsistent with the policies to report their concerns.

According to Rolling StoneFallon apologized to employees via Zoom meeting the evening the report was released.

HBO’s John Oliver is the only late-night host to return to his show on Sunday instead of Monday.

In his opening monologue on “Last Week Tonight,” Oliver criticized studio executives for allowing the writers’ strike to go on for so long.

“I’m glad they finally got a fair deal and proud of what our union accomplished, while I’m angry that it took 148 days for the studios to reach a deal they could have offered on day one.” said Oliver Guardian.

“But it will also encourage others, from Garth workers to Starbucks baristas and health care providers, to find power in each other, whether they are in unions or want to be,” he added.