Jay Leno on avoiding politics: It’s nice to hear ‘a comedian just be funny’

Jay Leno says he’s given up on touching politics in his comedy sets because it tends to suck the funny out of his standup shows. 

“We live in an era now — I don’t even do politics anymore in my act,” the former “Tonight Show” host told ITK in a recent interview.

“An audience is like an orchestra. You’re up there and you’re getting the laughs,” Leno said, “Then you get into the political stuff.”

“It just goes ahhh,” Leno said, making an indignant, groaning sound.

“It turns mean. They want to hear what the joke is — whether it’s about my guy or against my guy.”

“They’re not thinking of the joke. They’re thinking of the implications of the joke,” the 73-year-old entertainer, who hosted NBC’s late-night talk show until 2014, said. 

“So to me, I just don’t do it anymore. I just find it so annoying,” Leno, who still performs around the country, said.

“I find [the] audience likes it better. Hopefully they come to a comedy show to get away from politics,” he said.

“I think we get enough of everybody’s opinions. It’s nice to hear a singer just sing, or a comedian just be funny.”

But Leno, who told ITK in 2020 that he was backing Joe Biden in that year’s presidential election, clarified that his choice to steer clear of political punchlines doesn’t apply to all comedians.

“Obviously if you’re going to go see Stephen Colbert, a political comedian, that’s what you want,” Leno said of the politically charged CBS “Late Show” host.  

“But a lot of times, you just want to hear comedy,” Leno said, “and that’s what I like.”