Tracy Morgan’s Tracy Jordan Impression Won Late Night This Week

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Late-night TV is back to normal after the Olympics! This week, Jimmy Kimmel Live! really shined by interviewing snowboarder Chloe Kim and asking her some surprisingly funny questions. He wanted to know how she figures out where to land while snowboarding – asking if she knows where she is in the sky – and how she’d know if someone created an AI version of her. Her answers? She finds her bearings before landing, and the sign of an AI copycat is… fashion. Apparently, you should look it up!

When considering which late-night show had the most interesting break during the Olympics, The Late Show definitely stood out. It all started when Stephen Colbert insisted he could interview anyone he chose, despite objections about equal-time rules. CBS offered vague responses, and Colbert playfully challenged them, suggesting he’d simply post the interview on YouTube if they wouldn’t allow it on TV. This back-and-forth continued for a week, resulting in CBS remaining noncommittal and The Late Show gaining a lot of views on YouTube. However, the situation was complicated by Donald Trump constantly changing the subject. While Colbert led the charge last week, this week marks the final live episode of The Late Show ever – a fact that adds an interesting layer of reflection to the whole situation. It’s been quite a ride, but Stephen Colbert is soon moving on.

5.
Eliana Kwartler Offers Her Services

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=GjLtO0EL9OI

For years, the ‘explaining internet slang’ segment – which has gone through so many name changes they had to address it – has been a regular part of The Late Show. It’s likely Eliana Kwartler highlighted it when pitching the segment to writers, even asking Stephen Colbert to review it before the show potentially ended. Kwartler really made the most of her opportunity on the Ed Sullivan Theater stage.

4.
Jenny Slate Is Still Dreaming

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=ORL83gyZdds&t=3s

I have to thank—and also playfully scold—Jenny Slate for introducing me to the wonderfully bizarre world of “Peter Pan fails” videos on YouTube. Her retelling of a particularly disastrous high school production of Wendy was hilariously awful. This week marked the 12th anniversary of Late Night With Seth Meyers, and it’s great that a memorable moment came from a former Saturday Night Live cast member. What’s even better is that she’s even funnier and more pointed on her current show than she was on SNL. The whole show feels like a platform for giving performers a second chance to shine.

3.
Desi Lydic Runs a Gag on Deez Nutz

https://youtube.com/watch?v=fOdTHhQ1xY0?si=_FkUZfgrcPVDIlrH

I haven’t understood the Canadian government this well since reading the memoirs of Mike Myers and Guy Branum. Desi Lydic playfully attacked Canada on Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show after the U.S. beat them in a humorous competition encompassing hockey, government, and, well, everything. Because the U.S. won, we also jokingly claimed the titles of “best government” and the person who makes those subtly homophobic “deez nuts” jokes about the losing team. Every detail comparing the U.S. and Canada (and the connection between them felt more like a playful rivalry than a simple friendship) was increasingly absurd. Lydic deserves credit for pushing the joke as far as it could go, and Stewart for brilliantly following it up with a joke about the Iraq War and its elaborate marketing campaign.

2.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! Condenses the SOTU

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=7swlkU_JfN4

Let’s be honest, that State of the Union address wasn’t great, was it? The funniest take actually came from Jimmy Kimmel Live!, who cleverly edited together all the awkward and cringeworthy moments into one hilarious supercut. The editors at JKL! are really top-notch – they’re masters at spotting those repetitive local news tropes, and honestly, they might be too good at what they do now.

1.
Tracy Morgan Hosts Himself

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=Uf1wGkMtJpY

It’s great timing that Tracy Morgan is promoting his new show while his former Saturday Night Live colleague Jimmy Fallon hosts The Tonight Show. Morgan completely ignored the planned talking points during interviews for The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, and it was brilliant! He’s going off-script with stories about everything from having a child with Cher to fearing artificial intelligence, and audiences are loving it. Fallon clearly understood he needed to let Morgan take the lead. It was a unique and special dynamic, like a holiday special for fans of Tina Fey’s shows – imagining Tracy Jordan as Cher’s secret baby daddy feels like something straight out of a 30 Rock episode.

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2026-02-27 20:02