There was a lot going on in 2018. The Olympics. Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson. The royal wedding. Roseanne Barr’s return. Roseanne Barr’s exit. The midterm elections. There were ups and downs and a lot of politics, but every major event of the year had something in common: a wink, a nod and a joke from the roster of late-night comedians jockeying for your attention. And this year there were many more comedians trying to make you laugh, for better or worse.

Late night political jokes keyword after analyzing the system lists the list of keywords related and the list of websites with related content. Late night political jokes updated daily. Compare Search ( Please select at least 2 keywords ) Most Searched Keywords. Happy smiles dentistry ms 1. Late-night shows have gone live for past political events: “Late Show” and “Daily Show” did so after the 2018 State of the Union address and the 2016 presidential election, and Meyers did.

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Among 2018's late-night explosion: new Netflix projects for Michelle Wolf, Joel McHale and Hasan Minhaj, who entered the fray to compete for viewers. E! tried to turn Instagram into real life with a talk show featuring actress Busy Phillips. AMC gave time to Aisha Tyler to be 'Unapologetic.' HBO experimented with Wyatt Cenac and “Random Acts of Flyness.” And many hosts expanded their cultural footprints: Stephen Colbert broadened his empire with 'Our Cartoon President,' an animated parody of the Trump administration on Showtime. In what has become a more frequent tradition, Jimmy Fallon hosted the Golden Globes and Jimmy Kimmel hosted the Oscars. 'The Daily Show' host Trevor Noah announced that his memoir will soon be a film starring Lupita Nyong'o.

But late night also imploded, with mistakes and downsizing. Wolf and McHale’s Netflix shows were canceled in the blink of an eye. Conan O’Brien, who briefly hosted “The Tonight Show,” plans to downgrade 'Conan,' his 8-year-old TBS series, to half an hour and focus on segments abroad.

Samantha Bee, the loud and proud voice of liberal women on TBS' 'Full Frontal,' drowned in controversy after she called Ivanka Trump a gendered slur and had to apologize. Kimmel faced two politically charged feuds, with former Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore and Fox News host Sean Hannity. Bill Maher had to apologize for using a racial slur on the air but refused to say he was sorry for slamming Stan Lee after the Marvel Comics creator’s death. Chris Hardwick, host of “@midnight” on Comedy Central and “Talking Dead” on AMC, was accused of sexual misconduct.

In the midst of all the controversy and cancellations, there was some pretty good late-night TV, and some really, really bad stuff. More than ever since the the election of President Donald Trump in 2016, it was splinteredinto two distinctcategories: the political and the not-political.

Successful comedians found their lane and stuck to it while avoiding mere repetition of the same jokes that some other guy named Jimmy or James was doing. Those who weren’t successful tried to reach too far outside their comfort zone, made shows that belonged in a different era or just weren’t the right hosts to begin with.

Take the flameout of McHale. Back in 2006, there was an audience hungry for his snide brand of humor. Fans of E! reality shows would simply stay on the network until “The Soup” came on to make fun of the shows they'd just watched. But in 2018, catty reality TV doesn't dominate the pop culture conversation the way it once did. Watching McHale mock the cast of “Jersey Shore: Family Vacation” is just sad. Netflix gave McHale two chances and two formats to try to make “The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale” work – weekly and “binge-mode” episodes – but both felt as if he were just snarking into the void.

Wolf also got the ax from Netflix, likely because the format of her show didn’t suit her strengths. She's a talented stand-up comedian, as evidenced by her HBO special “Nice Lady” and her outrageous White House Correspondents Dinner performance (though controversial, it was also very funny). But that meant the only really good part of “The Break” was her opening monologue.

Phillipps, likewise, doesn’t belong in late night. She's best known for starring in 'Freaks and Geeks' and 'Cougar Town,' and her shtick is essentially being best friends with people who are more famous than she is, along with cutesy songs and honesty about her personal life. On Instagram, this makes her a star and a lot of fun to follow. But there’s just not enough to sustain even a half-hour show. “Busy Tonight” is boring and awkward, even when Julia Roberts stops by.

The new hosts aren't the only ones faltering. Fallon, who has lost ratings and attention since the election, still hasn't figured out how to mold himself to today's for our current political and cultural landscape. “The Tonight Show” awkwardly see-saws between half-hearted political jokes, silly games and fawning interviews, but it’s clear he does political humor only because he has to. Watching a midterm episode from November in which Rachel Maddow showed up to hype MSNBC’s election-night coverage was torture. Fallon’s jokes were lame and pointless, and he resorted to an extended bit about all the “boards” on cable news that was as unfunny as it was long. It's telling that Meyers, the second-tier host on the network, is the one who landed the live election-night episode.

The recipe for late-night greatness doesn’t have to include a Trump impersonation. The best thing on late-night TV this year had nothing to do with politics. James Corden’s “Carpool Karaoke” segment with Paul McCartney on “The Late Late Show” was more emotional and beautiful than you would expect for a segment with the word 'carpool' in it.

Another top moment was from Meyers, who put aside his Trump barbs to describe his wife giving birth in their apartment building lobby. And if you’re seeking a fantastic celebrity interviewer, look no further than Graham Norton, the British host who regularly gets real humor and emotion out of stars, and this fall got Chris Pine, Sally Field and Rami Malek to discuss onscreen nudity with no pretense. (His show airs on BBC America).

But audiences want Trump humor, as evidenced by Colbert’s politically themed “Late Show” supplanting 'Tonight' as the late-night leader and continued interest in “Saturday Night Live” (which has its own problems). But for some, exhaustion is baked into political humor these days, nearly four years since Trump’s arrival on the political stage as a candidate in 2015.

Colbert may be acerbic, Bee may be punchy and Meyers may be witty, but the comedian most adept at serving the political without overwhelming his audience is John Oliver,the former 'Daily Show' correspondent whose HBO series 'Last Week Tonight' has continued to evolve and improve since its debut in 2014.

The comedian wisely infuses levity into his deep-dive segments, including a perfect bit in last month's season finale in which he tricked the audience into believing he was going to discuss “A Star Is Born” before taking a hard left turn to discuss the rise of authoritarianism. Not exactly a Hollywood fairy tale, but it worked for him. It works for other people, too. Meyers’ popular “A Closer Look” segments are undoubtedly influenced by Oliver’s long pieces. Minhaj, another 'Daily Show' export, is the last Netflix late-night comic left, and he is essentially doing Oliver, just standing up.

More: USA TODAY's 25 best TV shows of 2018

Late-night comedians aren't lulling us to sleep like they did in the Johnny Carson era, but the best of them can still be essential viewing when they get it right. That was no easy task in 2018; next year will only get harder as Trump fatigue intensifies and the 2020 presidential primaries loom. So Jimmy, Jimmy, James, Samantha, Seth, Stephen, Wyatt, Aisha, Hasan, Trevor and the rest of you: It's time to get working.

Late-night ratings race

Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS) 3.76 5%
Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC) 2.79 -11%
Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC) 2.13 -3%
Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC) 1.49 1%
Late Late Show with James Corden (CBS) 1.33 0%
Daily Show with Trevor Noah (Comedy Central) 1.19 -15%
Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC) 0.77 -1%

Average audience in millions of viewers from 1/1/18 to 12/9/18, and percentage change vs. comparable year-ago period. Source: Nielsen

Alec Baldwin, as Donald Trump, and Kate McKinnon, as Hillary Clinton, perform during the opening sketch of Saturday Night Live on Oct. 1.

WILL HEATH/NBC via AP

Millions of viewers tune in every night to watch late-night TV shows. When presidential candidates are the regular punchlines, how do late-night comics sway U.S. presidential elections?

As if the U.S. presidential election couldn't stand on its own as a dark comedic display, late-night TV personalities are piling on – spinning one-liners and delivering biting takedowns.

Over the weekend, Saturday Night Live kicked off its 42^nd season, promising to provide from now until election day in November a near-to-reality version of presidential politics in which veteran actor Alec Baldwin plays the seething, erratic, cocky real-estate billionaire who tells Hillary Clinton to 'shut up' during a sketch mocking the first presidential debate.

Introducing @AlecBaldwin as Donald Trump. #SNLPremierepic.twitter.com/cGy7kotJWs

The daily diet of late-night TV shows skewering the candidates provides shareable clips that can travel far on social media and disrupt a campaign's attempts to control the message about its candidate's strengths. Mr. Trump appearing unhinged in real life can be reinforced in a damning impersonation. Ms. Clinton's single-minded ambition and untrustworthiness becomes a regular punchline. The jokes can stick.

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'It turned out that the more you watched late-night comedy the more likely you were to have the most dominant themes of those jokes at the top of your mind when it came time for you to make political evaluations,' said Dannagal Young, associate professor in the department of communications at the University of Delaware.

Because jokes often pick at personality traits, voters are likely to remember those most-caricatured qualities when asked about presidential candidates, added Prof. Young, who studies the effects of late-night comedy on viewers.

If some voters in 2000 felt that George W. Bush scored low in presidential intelligence and that Al Gore was a walking robot, there is a reason for that. Late-night comics had zeroed-in and relentlessly mocked Mr. Bush's command of foreign policy and Mr. Gore's stiff public persona.

In 2016, parts of the late-night comedy scene are relentless in their anti-Trump critique, and that is a big shift from past presidential elections, according to Prof. Young. The message from these comics to viewers, she added, is simple: 'Trump's crazy and the people who support him are crazy.'

When Mr. Trump tried to put an end to the 'birtherism' controversy in September with a short statement tacked at the end of a lengthy press conference showcasing his new hotel in Washington, comedian Seth Meyers exploded with an expletive-laden rant.

'You don't get to peddle racist rhetoric for five years and decide when it's over. We decide when it's over,' he said to loud applause.

Donald Trump: Obama is American, blames Clinton for ‘birther’ controversy

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Seth Meyers: ‘You don’t get to peddle racist rhetoric … and decide when it’s over’

On the other end of the spectrum are comedians like Jimmy Fallon, whose chummy handling of Mr. Trump and ruffling of the now-famous hairdo caused a stir because some felt it sent voters the wrong message.

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'Why do so many Americans think playing footsie with fringe hate groups isn't a disqualifier from polite society, much less the presidency?' said Canada-born comedian Samantha Bee during her Full Frontal monologue. The answer was obvious, at least to Ms. Bee. Late-night comedy had normalized Mr. Trump.

Ms. Bee is among those comedians making it her mission to help translate Mr. Trump wherever there may be any ambiguity about what he means.

After playing a clip of the Republican candidate from the first presidential debate during which Mr. Trump dodges a moderator question about what he meant when he said Ms. Clinton lacked a 'presidential look' – he said he was referring to her lack of 'stamina' – Ms. Bee was unequivocal.

'Just say penis, Don. Three-syllable words don't suit you,' she said.

With such an array of comedians taking digs – and often full-blown swings – at the Trump candidacy, there is the question of how political humour and satire are likely to influence voters.

'My hunch is that the fact that late-night content is so unapologetically critical of Donald Trump … that constant reminder to the American public that this guy is unhinged, a demagogue, narcissistic, unpredictable, dangerous – I think that will have some kind of effect, especially on that core middle part of the country upon whom the election outcome really rests,' said Prof. Young.

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In a Revisionist History podcast episode called The Satire Paradox, the writer Malcolm Gladwell explores current research showing how political satire gets laughs, but also taxes the cognitive functions of viewers occupied with trying to process the joke.

What gets lost is that next step: absorbing the underlying critique and assessing whether it is fair and worthy of consideration, according to researchers.

Mr. Gladwell uses the example of comedian Tina Fey, whose 2008 Saturday Night Live portrayal of vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin is still widely hailed as a triumph. But the writer views it as 'toothless' and argues that by focusing on Ms. Palin's manner of speech, the real problem is ignored: her politics and lack of experience.

'Saturday Night Live has taken out its dentures and is sipping the political situation through a straw. Lord help us if some other even less qualified and more frightening political figure comes along,' said Mr. Gladwell in the August podcast.

Actress Tina Fey, left, plays Governor Sarah Palin and actress Amy Poehler plays Senator Hillary Clinton on Saturday Night Live in 2008.

Late Night Political Jokes Updated Daily Times

Dana Edelson/AP

The idea that late-night TV comics can make the Trump candidacy so unpalatable that it impacts voters on election day is not likely to happen, according to Heather LaMarre, a professor in the school of media and communication at Temple University in Philadelphia.

The field of research looking at the effects on late-night comedy on the democratic process is still evolving. But there are some established findings, said Prof. LaMarre.

Late-night comedy engages people in the political process, although it is often a younger demographic that ends up skipping voting day; it can misinform – it was Tina Fey, not Sarah Palin, who said: 'I can see Russia from my house;' and it has the power to persuade.

On the last point, added Prof. LaMarre, the most likely to be persuaded are those viewers that don't have preconceived political ideas – she calls them the 'mushy middle' – whereas the hardened viewers with firm political identities will see and hear what they want to hear.

Stephen Colbert's 'God, are you there?' sketch from May depicts a liberal-leaning creator.

'What is with you people? C'mon, I give you free will and you nominate a guy who looks like a microwave circus peanut,' says God when the comedian informs him that Mr. Trump is set to become the Republican presidential nominee.

'Okay, that's it, that is it, I'm taking away your opposable thumbs,' God later adds, before giving up on Americans and vowing to move to Canada.

To anti-Trump viewers, God's reaction to the rise of Trump is about right. To Trump supporters, the sketch could be seen as a hilarious liberal-America fantasy.

What will be interesting to watch in the coming weeks is how shows like Saturday Night Live handle the depiction of Mr. Trump and Ms. Clinton, says Prof. LaMarre.

If sketches shift from lighthearted parodying to ominous and dark satire, those in the 'mushy middle' could tune out and end up sympathizing with Mr. Trump.

'If Alec Baldwin goes down that path [of dark satire], then people will start to think: 'This is not funny, it's just mean,' she said.

It's not just Mr. Trump who is the subject of mockery.

A summer segment by Mr. Colbert picked at Ms. Clinton's carelessness while using a private e-mail system to share classified documents.

'You were so vulnerable to hackers that you might want to check your e-mail servers for fortune cookies, because I'm guessing there's been a lot of Chinese takeout,' he said.

The underlying critique of late-night jokes about the Clinton e-mail server scandal is that there are serious questions about the candidate's competence, integrity and trustworthiness, says University of Delaware's Prof. Young.

That critique is hard for liberals and Clinton supporters to hear when presented seriously because it creates 'cognitive dissonance,' she said.

But in the late-night comedy setting the audience is less defensive.

'When people are in that state of play and they are reconciling that joke and the punchline is that Hillary Clinton lied and has stuff to hide and has this crazy server in her basement, all of a sudden those things are now in your mind and you are treating them differently,' said Prof. Young.

'You're not immediately out of hand saying, 'Stop! That's not right, she had reasons, it's not that big of a deal,' she added.