Top 10 Greatest American Talk Show Hosts Part 1: 10-6
- netrom88
- Oct 4, 2016
- 7 min read
Who is the greatest American talk show host ever? It is a question that has haunted the most brilliant minds our species has ever produced. It is a question that people all over the globe have debated for thousands and thousands of years.
After spending more time than anyone has ever spent on any subject in history, Serfuntin is proud to announce that the answer to this age-old question is finally here. Research has been done. Studies have been conducted. Data has been collected, and it all points to a very simple conclusion: The list provided here is the one true list of the greatest American talk show hosts ever.
Disregard everything you just read. None of that is true. What is true, though, is that this is a list of the ten talk show hosts the Serfuntin panel (consisting of one person) thinks are the greatest talk show hosts ever. Let's begin at the bottom and work our way to the top.
10: Jerry Seinfeld
When people think of talk show hosts, they probably don't think about Jerry Seinfeld. “He's not a talk show host. He's a comedian.” He is, but he is actually a talk show host as well. The show he hosts has never been on TV. It's an online show. It is called “Comedians in Cars getting Coffee,” and it is just that – Jerry picks up comedians in a car, then they drive somewhere to get coffee. While driving and drinking coffee, Jerry and his guests do what you're supposed to do in a talk show. They talk. Hence, Jerry Seinfeld is the host of a talk show.
What makes this talk show so good, which is also what secures a spot for Jerry Seinfeld on this list, is that it focuses on something no other talk show focus on. It focuses on comedians, and comedy itself. All guests are comedians, and they discuss how they got started with comedy, what they think is funny, and the science of comedy. They do so in short episodes, usually around 15 minutes long, without an audience except for the other guests at the coffee shops they visit. It's all very short and sweet.
While Jerry Seinfeld is best known for his TV sit-com, his new take on the talk show format, and the fact that it's online, has changed the entire game. He may be fresh in the role as talk show host, his gig is refreshing. His show is already great, and the fact that it represents somewhat of a shift in the talk show paradigm justifies his inclusion on this list.
If you want to check out Comedians in Cars getting Coffee for yourself you can do so right here: http://comediansincarsgettingcoffee.com/
Seinfeld and his show ends up at the bottom of this list, but he's got so much knowledge about humor and comedy that he should be able to find a way to make it funny and smile about it. After all, he might be considered the funniest person on this list.
The next person on this list, however, might be the most controversial person on the list.
9: Bill Maher
For years, Bill Maher has been hosting his own talk show on HBO, called “Real Time with Bill Maher,” and he is known for his sharp tongue and political incorrectness. He was actually fired from his last show for that incorrectness, even though his show was actually called “Politically Incorrect.”
His current show is even edgier than his last one, and since he's on HBO, he can say exactly what he wants to say. And he does. He's been in several verbal wars with some big personalities, such as Bill O'Reilly and the current Republican nominee for president of the United States of America, Donald Trump. The Donald even sued Maher after he was asked by Maher to submit to DNA testing, in order to determine if he is a love child of a human woman and an orangutan from the Brooklyn Zoo. While Trump claimed to prove that he was in fact not the love child of an orangutan, the whole spectacle was another example of the kind of things you might see from Bill Maher.
The legendary comedian George Carlin was one of Maher's greatest role models within comedy, and his style is a reflection of that. Just like Carlin, Maher can be extremely funny, but the jokes are usually meant to point to social or political issues. This is also an important part of why he is on this list.
Another factor that makes him rise to the top among talk show hosts is the fact that he is willing to invite people who disagree with him to his show. Many shows will only book guests who will have a conversation with the host where all they do is laugh at jokes and nod to each other. Maher, on the other hand, is willing to take the discussion, even if the only thing he has in common with his guest is race.
Maher is tough, funny, and he deals with social and political issues in a way that most talk shows stay away from. If this was a list of people who have done the most in an effort to change the world, Maher might have ended up a little closer to the top, but this is a list of the greatest American talk show hosts ever, and that is why the next person on the list comes in above the host of “Real Time with Bill Maher.”
8: Jay Leno
It would be impossible to a list such as this one without including Jay Leno. He hosted the show that might be considered THE talk show: The Tonight Show. The show has been going for decades, and Leno hosted it for about two of them.
Leno actually took over the Tonight Show twice. Once when Johnny Carson retired, and once when Conan O'Brien was pushed out. But even though his ascensions to the Tonight Show throne have been controversial, there's no denying that he does belong on this list. Many thought he stole the Tonight Show from both David Letterman and Conan O'Brien, but there are also several big names within the comedy business who support Leno.
He is a respected comedian, and while he might not have blazed any new trails with his comedy, his charisma and style made him one of the truly greats. He had several memorable moments on his show, and perhaps the most entertaining interview ever. It's difficult to say that he was responsible for making this interview so interesting, since it was mainly his guest, Jim Carrey, who provided the entertainment.
See the interview here:
All the things Leno allowed to happen on his show makes him an easy fit on this list. But it is the fact that he himself wasn't as innovative, provocative, or trailblazing as others, that places him 8th on the list. He did a very good job on the Tonight Show for many years, but just going by how long someone did it will not give them much of an advantage on this list. The next talk show host on this list proves just that.
7: Jimmy Kimmel
While Jimmy Kimmel is the youngest host on this list he's no baby. He's been hosting shows for many years already, including “Jimmy Kimmel Live”, which debuted in 2003 and is still going strong. He is part of the new generation of talk show hosts, which also includes other hosts such as Jimmy Fallon, Seth Myers, James Corden, and others.
The reason why Kimmel is on this list and not any of the other ones mentioned is because of two thing. First, he has shown an ability to be innovative. Kimmel was the one who successfully introduced social media into his show. He did so with the “Mean Tweets” segments, where celebrities would read mean things random people have said to them on Twitter.
Check it out for yourself:
Second, he has proven to have a brain that allows him to think for himself. Unlike others, who would gladly force out cringeworthy laughter just to seem jovial, Kimmel isn't afraid to maintain a straight face if he doesn't find something amusing. He's also not afraid to speak his mind. We got to see an example of that during an interview with Jay Leno. This was back when Leno's second takeover of the Tonight Show was a hot topic, and Kimmel was being interviewed on Leno's show. He managed to give Leno a solid burn while also being funny. That is a sign of greatness.
Here's a clip of the interview:
Jimmy Kimmel is a perfect example of how a show is only as great as its host. He's pretty much always the best part of his own show, and that, along with his ability to innovate, as well as his intelligence, is why he is where he is on this list.
6: Larry King
While everybody else primarily makes their living telling jokes, Larry King is probably the most serious talk show host on the list. It's not that he doesn't know how to tell a joke, it's just that he had some more serious things to focus on. Like what's going on in the world we all live in. What goes through the minds of the people who makes the real decision. The decisions that impact citizens everywhere.
Larry King had his own talk show on CNN for 25 years. Throughout his tenure, King interviewed pretty much anyone of importance. He's interviewed leaders from every walk of life, and they all seemed to respect King for the service he provided.
Even Jon Stewart liked Larry King. While the former host of The Daily Show didn't hesitate to criticize CNN whenever he got the chance, he also admitted that he was fond of King. It just goes to show that even the staunchest critic of CNN could enjoy the work of Larry King.
Watch it here:
Because Larry King helped direct a spotlight to issues that deserved the attention, and because he did it for more than a quarter of a century, Larry King is a natural choice for this list. That's probably something anyone from Vladimir Putin to Homer Simpson can agree on.
This is the bottom half of the list of the top 10 greatest American talk show hosts. The names on the list so far are very impressive, so you can only imagine what the top half will look like. Check Serfuntin to see who makes it into the top 5.
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