Late night television has been a staple in American television since the end of the 1940's. Popularized after the demise of radio, late night talk shows quickly became a platform for male comedians to perform sketch comedy and interview celebrities. Certain hosts found popularity through this after hours variety show, such as Ed Sullivan, Steve Allen, and Johnny Carson. While Allen's program created the structure of the late night show by having a opening monologue, interviews with stars and audience interaction, Carson truly perfected this style in the early 1960's and became America's favorite late night host.
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In the years since, men dominated late night programming. The same is true today, with every leading channel (CBS, NBC, ABC, etc.) having a big male personality run the late night game. The forumla of the show remains the same on each channel, no matter who the host: opening remarks, some banter, interviews with celebrities, and a few light hearted bits. This format is tried and true, and each male late night host seems to follow these steps almost to a fault. The men of the late night world aren't taking many chances, because deviating from the routine is too big of a risk for executives and producers to take.
Women, on the other hand, have had their television success more so on daytime programming. Perhaps it's that different time of day that can make all the difference, but hosts such as Ellen Degeneres and Oprah Winfrey hit their stride with their candid interviews airing in the middle of the day. The format is almost identitcal to late night: monologue at the beginning, interviews in the middle, and fun games or giveaways at the end. The structure is so similar, with women definitely dominating the ratings of daytime television. Even group daytime talk shows, such as The View and The Talk have found popularity amongst general television viewers with women at the helm. So why, if women are doing so well on daytime TV, can't they get a shot to do the same at night?
Meanwhile, Joan Rivers paved the way for women in late night by being the first to host her own show in 1986. This was due to her many years as a guest comic and then guest host on the beloved Johnny Carson's program. Her show was filled with her crass humor and controversial interviews. But the bridges she burned along the way, particularly with Carson, had a lasting affect on how women were percieved in late night. Her show not only tanked, but its cancelation set a chain reaction that would change the course of late night. Rivers was blacklisted from The Tonight Show even after Carson's departure. Carson passed his legacy onto Jay Leno, and then Conan O'Brien, and so on. Not only did Carson ensure that Rivers' late night career was over, but that no woman would betray him or get in the way of his late night success again. No other woman has received that opportunity to go head to head with the boys of late night since.
It's a bit unfair to blame Rivers and her drama with Carson as the catalyst behind the lack of women in late night. Her show, which only lasted for two seasons, was the first of its kind. It had the potential to open doors for future women to continue hosting after hours television. However, the trouble that followed Rivers in late night never seemed to resolve itself. Her impact in the late night world did little to change the course of how late night would run for years to come.
