The late-night talk show isn’t what it used to be. Still, it’s a position with some prestige and certainly with some legacy. There are people out there who would like to be talk show hosts, and there are people we would like to see be talk show hosts. Next time a seat behind a desk is open, we hope one of these celebrities will take the gig.
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Byer is a force of personality, but she has shown she can play to different audiences. Left to her own devices, Byer tends to be raunchy. However, on Nailed It!, she plays it family-friendly and has been nominated for Emmys. That shows the ability to work with different guests and to cater to different people.
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When Craig Ferguson left The Late Late Show , before James Corden took over, several people got to be guest hosts. Adam Pally was the most infamous of the bunch, but that was more because it was a beautiful trainwreck. Cummings actually did a good job as a talk show host, so she has shown she can handle it.
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Tompkins is a quick-minded comedian, a talented improviser, and a raconteur. He’s been a delightful podcast guest and host since the medium first began to take off. The guy has done variety shows on stage for years! That shows all the skills necessary to be a good talk show host.
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Rudolph was on Saturday Night Live, so she can do sketch comedy. She can sing. She’s a game performer. Can she do interviews? Possibly! There’s only one way to find out.
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Short and Rudolph had a short-lived variety show together, and they are both on this list. Now, Short doesn’t need a talk show. He’s a comedy legend. He’s up there in years. However, we’d love to see it. Could he possibly do it as Jiminy Glick? That would be amazing.
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Palmer’s acting career is solidified, but she also has hosting experience. She’s hosted game shows and the MTV Video Music Awards. Palmer would also be a different choice for a late-night host, given that she is only 29.
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As an actor, Mantzoukas tends to play lunatics. On podcasts, he will also often take on an aggro persona. This is what they call character work. If you ever listen to Mantzoukas in a sincere interview, he is quite introspective and eloquent. He can be funny, and we bet he could do some great remotes, but he would also be a better interviewer than you might imagine.
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Varney has improvisation experience, but she also has interviewing experience on podcasts. Somebody who can do comedy, be present in the moment and know how to do interviews is what makes for a good talk show host.
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Richardson is kind of like Mantzoukas, as the type of character he plays is not indicative of his real personality. He plays dumb guys and weirdos, but Richardson is much more astute. Did you watch him go along with Conan O’Brien to Ghana? That speaks to what he might be able to do in such a role.
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Her sitcom didn’t last very long, and her turn hosting Legends of the Hidden Temple was also brief, but you can’t really blame that on Alonzo. Back in the day, talk show hosts were standups, such as David Letterman and Jay Leno. Alonzo is a successful standup and a fun podcast guest, so we bet she would excel in such a role. Maybe this is the TV gig that works out for her.
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A working character actor for many years, Bowie has gotten to be more recognizable thanks to roles on The Big Bang Theory and Speechless. However, for this gig, Bowie is a raconteur and a great guest on podcasts. He is also an engaged interviewer on his podcast, where he talks to fellow character actors. We figure he could also talk to movie stars.
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Evans is already a talk show host on Hot Ones. With the way modern TV works, he likely would get fewer viewers if he moved to TV. His show is one of the most popular on YouTube. On the other hand, he has spent years eating a ton of hot sauce, and at some point, his body will say “No more,” right? Then, he can make the move.
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Now that she’s got a role on Tulsa King, perhaps Savage is not primed for a role like this. However, she comes from the realm of “great podcast guests” we’d like to see in the role of a talk show host. Savage also briefly had her own sitcom, I’m Sorry, so she’s got some sense of how to create comedy for TV.
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Lathan has had an eclectic career. He worked for TMZ, produced an Oscar-winning film, and is a podcast host. He can cover pop culture, he can cover politics, you name it. While Lathan is likely the least recognizable name on this list, Conan O’Brien was just a guy who had written for Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons before getting tapped for his show. Why not take a risk?
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Like Cummings, Graham guest hosted The Late Late Show for a few episodes. Plus, we swear, at some point, she was tied to a show where she was going to play a talk show host. Why not make that a reality? The Gilmore Girls days are over. Maybe it’s time for her to turn that chattiness into a talk show gig.