There aren’t many actors I pay much attention to these days, but I do have a soft spot for Vince Vaughn. Back when I used to watch more movies, I was a big fan of his. I love his dry, sarcastic wit and just think he’s downright hilarious.
It didn’t hurt that he and I had the same political views, but he’s one of those guys who doesn’t go around demanding you believe what he does or forcing it down your throat in every movie and interview. He just speaks out on causes he believes in occasionally — like small government and gun rights — and he’s also a big supporter of our troops, which I love.
And now, I think I love him even more because he’s calling out the so-called comedians who host our late-night talk shows and simply aren’t funny.
Vaughn appeared on Theo Von’s podcast, “This Past Weekend,” this week, and admitted that politics are “part of the job because you’ve got to talk about current events” if you’re in comedy, “but you don’t want to become part of a group and feel like you’re a champion for one ideology. You want to make fun of everybody.” Amen to that.
Von pointed out that Hollywood is a pretty “liberal place,” but Vaughn told him that there was much more to it than that. It’s not just about people having their own political views, but “it’s more like, ‘We’re smart and got it figured out, and if you don’t agree then you’re an idiot,’” he said, adding, “There was definitely a culture that if you didn’t agree with these ideas, you were looked at as bad.”
The conversation then turned to late-night talk show hosts like Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, and Jimmy Fallon.
“A lot of the late shows have struggled because… the only person they could make fun of at a certain point was white, redneck kind of people… and then everything tanked after that,” Von said.
Vaughn agreed and said that’s why he believes podcasts have gotten so popular. They have less production, fewer writers, and less staff, but they’re more authentic and include real conversation. Then, without naming names, he trashed the late-night talk shows himself:
I think that the talk shows, to a large part, became really agenda-based. They were going to evangelize people to what they thought. And so people just rejected it because it didn’t feel authentic. It felt like they had an agenda. It stopped being funny, and it started feeling like I was in a f*cking class I didn’t want to take… But if you look at what happened to the talk shows, and why their ratings are low — it’s got only to do with the fact that they all became the same show, and they all became so about their politics and who’s good and who’s bad. Imagine sitting next to someone like that on a f*cking plane. You’d be like how do I get out of this f*cking seat.
Vaughn concluded that people are blaming the technology — implying many people just don’t watch traditional TV anymore — but you have to make a product that’s at least watchable before you can do that. He’s right. I’m pretty sure I haven’t enjoyed a late-night talk show since Jay Leno retired.
Von also asked the actor if he ever felt “ostracized” in Hollywood because of his right-leaning views.
“I always got along with people … and try to be honest about who I am,” Vaughn replied. He added, “If you’re constantly worried what someone else thinks of you and you’re only around them a couple hours a day, you’re miserable most of the time. You’ve got to find the way to be yourself, but be respectful.”
Vaughn must really not care what anyone thinks of him because, if you’ll remember, he visited Donald Trump in the Oval Office last summer, and the two posed for a picture that went viral on social media. All I can say is good for him.
🚨BREAKING: Legendary actor Vince Vaughn just took a powerful photo with President Trump behind the Oval Office desk in the White House.
Trump is TAKING BACK and WINNING the culture. pic.twitter.com/J2RTTDZiDe
— Bo Loudon (@BoLoudon) April 18, 2025
You can watch the entire podcast episode here:
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