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Late-night TV has been around for 75 years. In 1949, Faye Emerson became the first late-night TV host when her 15-minute self-titled variety series began airing on CBS at 11 p.m. Running for two years, the show covered everything from politics to entertainment, bringing on clowns and other circus performers in the gaps between interviews with people like Tennessee Williams and women's Air Force and Army brigade leaders.
On one fateful 1951 episode, Emerson invited her friend, Steve Allen, to come chat and play piano on air. A couple of years later, Allen would create "The Tonight Show" for NBC, which is widely considered the first long-form, late-night show to hit national airwaves.
During his tenure on "The Tonight Show," from 1954 to 1956, Allen solidified the format many late-night shows still follow today: an opening monologue, some audience work, celebrity chats, person-on-the-street interviews, and musical performances. Everyone who has followed in his footsteps—from Johnny Carson to Joan Rivers and Jimmy Kimmel—has added their own twists to the formula with varying levels of success.
To identify the most popular late-night hosts over the years, Stacker used survey data from YouGov as of June 2024 to rank the top 20 late-night hosts by the percentage of survey respondents who had a positive opinion of them. To qualify, a host had to host a late-night show (defined as a talk show airing at 11 p.m. or later) for at least one full season. Ties were broken internally by YouGov.
Read on to see if your favorite host made the list and to learn more about these individuals' contributions to the genre as a whole.
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- Have heard of: 79%
- Have positive opinion of: 42%
British comedian James Corden went from up-and-comer to household name in 2007 when he wrote and starred in the hit U.K. series "Gavin & Stacey." That BAFTA-winning role led to a series of hosting gigs at ceremonies like the Brit Awards that eventually put him in the position to take over CBS's "The Late Late Show" in 2015 after Craig Ferguson retired. Outside of his late-night post, which came to an end in 2023, Corden won a Tony for his performance in "One Man, Two Guvnors"; has had roles in several major musical films like "Into the Woods," "Cats," and "The Prom"; and has won five Emmys for his Apple TV+ series "Carpool Karaoke."
- Have heard of: 74%
- Have positive opinion of: 45%
Scottish native Craig Ferguson got his big break in comedy at the 1986 Edinburgh Fringe Comedy Festival. In the 1990s, he moved to America and landed a starring role on "The Drew Carey Show." Then, in 2004, he won the opportunity to replace Craig Kilborn as the host of CBS's "The Late Late Show," a position he held for 11 seasons. Since leaving in 2014, he's been involved in a number of other projects, including voice acting and hosting game shows like "Celebrity Name Game" and "The Hustler." As of March 2024, Ferguson is considering a possible return to the late-night circuit.
- Have heard of: 79%
- Have positive opinion of: 46%
Born and raised in South Africa, comedian Trevor Noah began working as a correspondent on "The Daily Show" in 2014. The following year, Comedy Central announced that he'd be replacing Jon Stewart as full-time host, a position he held until 2022. For that final season, Noah won the Emmy for Outstanding Talk Series. He's kept very busy since leaving "The Daily Show," hosting award shows like the Grammys and touring worldwide while filming multiple comedy specials.
- Have heard of: 72%
- Have positive opinion of: 46%
Dick Cavett got his start in late-night TV behind the scenes, writing jokes for the likes of Jack Paar and Johnny Carson. Then, in 1968, ABC offered him his own show, simply titled "The Dick Cavett Show," which ran as the network's entry in the late-night wars, airing in the 11:30 p.m. slot. Often described as a more cerebral offering, the series ran until 1975 and took home multiple Emmys before Cavett moved on to other projects. Now in his 80s, Cavett's latest late-night appearance was on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" in 2020.
- Have heard of: 74%
- Have positive opinion of: 47%
Another host who got his start doing stand-up, British comedian John Oliver honed his cutting-edge political humor on stages across the U.K. before hopping across the pond in 2006 to become a correspondent on "The Daily Show." In 2014, he was given his own late-night series, HBO's "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver." Now in its 11th season, the show has won 28 Emmys and is frequently praised for its insightful musings and for pressing on political, social, and cultural issues.
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- Have heard of: 78%
- Have positive opinion of: 49%
Steve Allen got his start in radio in the 1940s before becoming a late-night pioneer in the 1950s. The co-creator and first host of "The Tonight Show" only sat behind the desk for five years (from 1953 to 1957), but his style and sense of humor set the precedent for much of what we still see on these types of shows today, including man-on-the-street interviews and audience participation. After stepping back from "The Tonight Show," Allen hosted several other game shows, variety shows, and talk shows, and he also composed hundreds of songs for the stage and other artists. He died in 2000 at the age of 78.
- Have heard of: 85%
- Have positive opinion of: 49%
When ratings for "The Late Show with Joan Rivers" began to sag in the late 1980s, Arsenio Hall was tapped by Fox as a guest host tasked with reviving the series. Though the show eventually folded, Hall impressed executives and audiences enough that he was awarded his own series with Paramount, "The Arsenio Hall Show." Running from 1989 to 1994, the show was known for booking guests other hosts shied away from (like Public Enemy and Tupac Shakur) and for tackling topics Hall's competitors often skirted around, from the HIV/AIDS epidemic to gang violence.
- Have heard of: 86%
- Have positive opinion of: 49%
Thirty years ago, Jon Stewart launched MTV's first talk show, "The Jon Stewart Show," a job that eventually led to him hosting Comedy Central's "The Daily Show." From 1999 to 2015, Stewart helmed the late-night show, winning a slew of accolades along the way, including 10 consecutive Emmy Awards for Oustanding Variety Series. After a nearly decade-long hiatus, during which he hosted "The Problem with Jon Stewart" on Apple TV+, Stewart returned to "The Daily Show" in 2024.
- Have heard of: 85%
- Have positive opinion of: 50%
After turns on hit shows "A Different World" and "The Sinbad Show," a couple of HBO stand-up specials, and several movie roles in the '80s and '90s, comedian and actor Sinbad was given the opportunity to host the syndicated late-night show "Vibe" in 1997, replacing the series' initial host, Chris Spencer. Although the gig only lasted one year, it stood out thanks to the type of audience it attracted—young, urban viewers vs. more middle-aged, suburban watchers.
- Have heard of: 91%
- Have positive opinion of: 50%
One of the longest-running correspondents on "The Daily Show," Stephen Colbert was given his own late-night show in 2005, Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report." He left that gig in 2014 to take over CBS's "The Late Show" after David Letterman's retirement. Now the #1 show on late-night TV, "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" has won the Peabody Award and has more than two dozen Emmy nominations.
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- Have heard of: 95%
- Have positive opinion of: 52%
Conan O'Brien got his start in the entertainment industry writing for hit series like "Saturday Night Live" and "The Simpsons." In 1993, he made his late-night hosting debut as the second host of NBC's "Late Night" franchise after David Letterman departed for CBS. In 2009, O'Brien left that show to helm "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" in the wake of Jay Leno's "retirement," but he was ousted when Leno decided to come back in one of the most controversial moments in late-night hosting history. O'Brien then left network late-night entirely to host "Conan" on TBS, where he stayed from 2010 to 2021. These days, he keeps busy with a podcast and an HBO Max travel show.
- Have heard of: 81%
- Have positive opinion of: 53%
A 1987 Washington D.C. talent show was the catalyst that led Wanda Sykes to leave her first career as a National Security Agency officer to become one of the most beloved comedians of her generation. After spending five years writing for "The Chris Rock Show" in the 1990s, Fox offered Sykes the opportunity to host her own late-night program, "The Wanda Sykes Show," in 2009. Though it only lasted for a single season due to low ratings, the fumble hasn't stopped the comic, who's appeared on series like "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," "The Good Fight," "Black-ish," and "The Upshaws." She's been nominated for 17 Emmys and won one for her writing on "The Chris Rock Show."
- Have heard of: 88%
- Have positive opinion of: 54%
A longtime cast member and writer on "SNL," Seth Meyers was no stranger to late-night hours when he landed his gig as the host of NBC's "Late Night" in 2014 after Jimmy Fallon announced his departure for "The Tonight Show" (once Jay Leno left for good). Meyers' decade on the show since has resulted in 11 Emmy nominations. In his spare time, he has taken on several other projects, including co-creating the mockumentary series "Documentary Now!" and writing a children's book called "I'm Not Scared, You're Scared."
- Have heard of: 93%
- Have positive opinion of: 55%
Just a few years after his TV debut on Comedy Central's "Win Ben Stein's Money," Jimmy Kimmel was handed his own late-night series, "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Now in its 22nd season, the show still draws sizable audiences and is ABC's longest-running late-night program. However, that all may end sooner rather than later—Kimmel started hinting in February 2024 that he won't be renewing his contract, which is set to expire after the show's 23rd season.
- Have heard of: 92%
- Have positive opinion of: 56%
The other late-night Jimmy, Jimmy Fallon, was castmates with Seth Meyers on "SNL" before he landed his gig on NBC. After succeeding Conan O'Brien as "Late Night" host from 2009 to 2014, Fallon moved to "The Tonight Show," where he still reigns. In addition to his nightly appearances, Fallon has written several children's books and still appears in movies and on TV shows, like "Jurassic World" and "Only Muders in the Building," usually as himself.
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- Have heard of: 92%
- Have positive opinion of: 56%
A trailblazer for women in comedy, Joan Rivers began her stand-up career in the mid-1960s, telling her blunt, self-deprecating, sometimes acerbic jokes on stages all across New York City. In 1965, she was invited to perform on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson," and her career took off from there. She became a regular on that show and eventually landed her own groundbreaking late-night program, Fox's "The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers," in 1986.
Rivers' tenure only lasted seven months, thanks to blacklisting from her mentor-turned-rival Carson and fights between her husband-producer Edgar Rosenberg and studio executives. The fallout almost ended her career, but she made a comeback in the early '90s doing red carpet and fashion commentary until her death in 2014. Rivers will go down in history as the first woman to headline a long-form late-night talk show.
- Have heard of: 89%
- Have positive opinion of: 56%
Most folks know Pat Sajak as the host of "Wheel of Fortune," a job he held from 1981 until 2024. But some may remember his brief foray into late-night TV, hosting "The Pat Sajak Show" from 1989 to 1990. While the program is largely forgettable, there was one moment that will go down in history—when conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh acted as a guest host in 1990, bringing up the hot-button issue of abortion and essentially getting yelled out of the studio. The series was canceled two weeks later.
- Have heard of: 93%
- Have positive opinion of: 57%
Comedian Jay Leno began his TV career as a frequent guest on "The Tonight Show" in the 1970s before eventually taking over as host in 1992 when Johnny Carson stepped down. He spent two separate stints behind the "Tonight Show" desk, one from 1992 to 2009 and another infamous one from 2010 to 2014, before permanently moving on to other projects like CNBC's "Jay Leno's Garage" and the Fox game show "You Bet Your Life."
- Have heard of: 93%
- Have positive opinion of: 59%
David Letterman spent 33 years on network late-night TV, hosting more than 6,000 episodes of "Late Night" on NBC and "The Late Show" on CBS, making him the longest-serving host in late-night history. Between the two series, he also won five Emmy awards. Since retiring from the "Late Show" desk in 2015, Letterman has focused on his new Netflix talk show "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction," which has been running since 2018.
- Have heard of: 88%
- Have positive opinion of: 70%
Finally, the most popular host in late-night TV history is Johnny Carson, the 30-year host of NBC's "The Tonight Show" between 1962 and 1992. Known for his quick wit and casual, conversational hosting style (perhaps as a result of his shy nature), Carson was "seen by more people on more occasions than anyone else in American history," according to PBS. He died in 2005 at 79 years old, but he's still known as "The King of Late Night" today.
Data reporting by Luke Hicks. Story editing by Jaimie Etkin. Copy editing by Tim Bruns. Photo selection by Lacy Kerrick.
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