Top 10 WORST Late Night Hosts

“Up Late with Alec Baldwin” (2013) Having hosted “SNL” more times than anyone else, Alec Baldwin holds a significant place in late night history. Rather than utilize this knack for sketch comedy, though, “Up Late” was a political discussion series that found Baldwin at his most self-serious and pretentious. The Daily Beast called the first episode a “snooze” with Baldwin generating more attention with his off-screen behavior. Contrasting his composed onscreen persona, the actor got into multiple scuffles with the press - one incident containing a homophobic slur. Although Baldwin planned to do “Up Late” for a year, MSNBC put the show on hiatus before canceling it after five episodes. He didn’t have much better luck in primetime five years later with “The Alec Baldwin Show” airing eight of its ten episodes.

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#9: Pat Sajak

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“The Pat Sajak Show” (1989-90) Before CBS found their late night savior in David Letterman, they spun the wheel and landed on Pat Sajak. No doubt that Sajak is a treasure of daytime TV, but game shows and late night talk shows are two different beasts. Sajak wasn’t built for the latter, lacking the sharp timing of Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show” and the hip factor that Arsenio Hall brought to his emerging series. Competition aside, the show’s failings largely boiled down to Sajak, who seemed to coast his way through episodes. It’s not like Sajak had to try that hard, as his contract guaranteed $60,000 per week for two years even if the show got canceled prematurely. That said, CBS cut their losses just before hitting the 300th episode.

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#8: ALF

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“ALF’s Hit Talk Show” (2004) We’d like to think that a talk show hosted by the Tanner family’s alien started as a joke around the TV Land offices. That joke slowly snowballed into a reality and before anyone could pull the plug, ALF was already behind a desk with Ed McMahon as his sidekick. While ALF worked as a sitcom star in the 80s, his one-liners didn’t translate well into this 2004 late night show. There is a certain novelty to the show’s very existence, although listening to a puppet crack bad jokes with whatever celebrity guests they could find got old almost immediately. As for the “Hit” part of the title, that all depends on whether or not you consider seven episodes a success. ALF might, but we don’t.

“A Little Late with Lilly Singh” (2019-21) Starting as a YouTuber, Lilly Singh became the first openly bisexual woman of color to host an American late night show. While reviews from critics were solid, the audience reception wasn’t as glowing. “A Little Late” possesses one of the lowest ratings among IMDb users. Part of that might be due to review bombing, but it can also be attributed to the lack of laughs. Singh has been funny in other projects, but she came off as uncomfortable here with much of the humor feeling forced and repetitive. Going from YouTube to TV, Singh acknowledged that “there was definitely a struggle” as she tried to “mesh these two worlds together.” This resulted in an uneven show that didn’t come off as groundbreaking as it should’ve.

“Red Eye” (2007-17), “The Greg Gutfeld Show” (2015-21), & “Gutfeld!” (2021-) Fox News is already kind of a joke. So, adding a late night comedy to the lineup isn’t the worst idea. Then again, Greg Gutfeld’s attempts at political satire can’t compete with the mindboggling reality of something like “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” which was supposed to be taken seriously (we think). In any case, it’s hard to differentiate Gutfeld’s commentary from the rest of Fox News’ content. Being on a conservative network, Gutfeld is in a position to offer a unique, edgy perspective that stands out from the rest of late night. Instead, his humor comes off as lowbrow as a comments section without being that biting. If anything, Gutfeld’s hot takes feel ice cold compared to Fox News’ craziest shows, which is the biggest offense.

“Thicke of the Night” (1983-84) Between hosting a successful Canadian daytime series and becoming the Seaver family patriarch, Alan Thicke experienced some growing pains as a late night personality. Reflecting on his ill-fated attempt to challenge Johnny Carson, Thicke commented, “They said it couldn’t be done and we proved it.” With a dull delivery, Thicke did too good of a job at putting his audience to sleep. The syndication series didn’t have the clearest vision either, but Thicke couldn’t deny that he was part of the problem. When it was canceled after only a year, Thicke felt a mix of disappointment and relief. While Thicke admitted that the “show was a dog,” he appreciated that it brought him to the States, leading to new opportunities he’d be prouder of.

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#4: Magic Johnson

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“The Magic Hour” (1998) The 90s were an interesting decade for NBA superstars. Michael Jordan met the Looney Tunes, Shaquille O’Neal became a rapping genie, and Magic Johnson joined the late night war. Weirdly enough, that last one sounds the most ridiculous. As lively as Johnson was on the court, he didn’t make for the most charismatic host. “The Magic Hour” is remembered less for its host and more for guest Howard Stern, who wasn’t above taking cheap shots at Johnson. The only thing more awkward than Johnson’s interactions with guests was his rapport with short-lived sidekick Craig Shoemaker. Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel were offered the sidekick gig, but they dodged a bullet. Johnson managed to perform one magic trick, disappearing from the airways in barely three months.

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#3: Joe Buck

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“Joe Buck Live” (2009) At least “The Magic Hour” got three months. HBO gave Joe Buck the boot after three episodes. Like Johnson, Buck came from a sports background. Buck also learned what it’s like to be overshadowed by somebody from “The Howard Stern Show.” In this case, guest Artie Lange cast an infamous shadow over “Joe Buck Live,” making crude comments about the host and Jessica Simpson. Although Buck didn’t put these words in Lange’s mouth, it became evident that the play-by-play announcer wasn’t cut out for the talk show biz. Before the pilot even ended, he already lost all control. It wasn’t long until HBO told Buck that they were moving away from talk shows. Buck knew, however, that if HBO liked his show, it would’ve continued.

“The Chevy Chase Show” (1993) After trying to contend with Carson in the 80s, Fox got back into the late night ring to see if they could rival Leno and Letterman. And there was just one host for the job… Dolly Parton! But since she wasn’t interested, they went with Chevy Chase. Fox had high expectations, renaming the Aquarius Theater the Chevy Chase Theater. Chase might’ve been a scene stealer on “SNL,” but the audience for this talk show was more amusing than its host. With dated gags and an anxious presence, you wouldn’t guess that Chase was a comedy legend based on his performance here. Chase was already coming off a few misfires and with his show getting axed after six weeks, he never quite regained his A-list status.

“Brand X with Russell Brand” (2012-13) Before we address the elephant in the room, we should probably ask, “Was Russell Brand ever funny?” In “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” sure, but it quickly became clear that a little of his over-the-top ramblings can go a long way. Nowhere was this more apparent than when this talk show provided an open mic. Listening to Brand’s lengthy, prattling monologues, it can feel as if we’ve been taken hostage. Most of the show’s bits haven’t aged well, most notably one entitled “Totally Unacceptable Opinion.” Ironically, if somebody said that “Brand X” deserved a third season, most people would probably find that opinion totally unacceptable, especially given the recent allegations against Brand. Controversy aside, “Brand ObnoXious” would’ve been a more appropriate title.