10 Times Talk Show Hosts Totally Changed Their Opinions
10 Times Late Night Hosts Totally Changed Their Opinions
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Welcome toMsMojo, and today we’re looking at outspoken talk show hosts who changed their stance over time. The host had to have changed his or her core belief about an issue, rather than any organization that parted from their perspective.
Johnny Carson on Smoking
The King of Late Night may have modernized the talk show format, but one aspect of “The Tonight Show” was an unfortunate product of the ‘60s. Johnny Carson regularly smoked on the air, until widespread reports of the health risks inspired the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act of 1970. “The Tonight Show” was coincidentally the last American TV program to feature a cigarette commercial. Carson quit smoking on-camera, but privately maintained the habit until his death from emphysema in 2005. CBS then resurfaced a 1979 “60 Minutes” interview with previously unaired material, including Carson expressing remorse about smoking. Though the vice got the better of him, he realized public figures’ responsibility to turn impressionable viewers away from it.
Jimmy Fallon on Political Commentary
Amid growing partisanism on late-night, Jimmy Fallon carried his fluffy neutrality into “The Tonight Show.” The most confrontational he got in interviews with 2016 POTUS candidates was playfully tousling Donald Trump’s iconic hair. In a 2017 interview with New York Times, Fallon expressed regret for not asking more hardball questions. But as Trump publicly rejected this apology and began feuding with talk show hosts, “The Tonight Show” became more open to political jabs. By the time ABC briefly suspended “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” under government pressure in 2025, Fallon spoofed a crackdown on free speech. He maintains his moderate brand by poking fun at all sides, but he and his writers are gradually recognizing how some politicizing is necessary.
Bill Maher on Donald Trump… Temporarily
Contrary to recent allegations, Bill Maher has always held firm in his liberal beliefs. Though HBO’s “Real Time” has grown more critical of illiberal progressivism, its host was always harshest about Donald Trump’s first term in the White House. At the start of the second term, Maher shocked everyone when he revealed that Trump invited him to a dinner, where he was “gracious” and attentive to the concerns of his guest. Maher was relieved to find that the President was more moderate in private, but still strongly disagreed with his policies. Nonetheless, Maher faced more backlash than usual for humoring his political opponent. As Trump’s second term soon displayed authoritarian activity, “Real Time” became more critical than ever.
Conan O’Brien on Jay Leno
Friendly terms between Jay Leno and “Late Night” host David Letterman collapsed after the former’s controversial promotion to the “Tonight Show” desk. Letterman’s own successor, Conan O’Brien, had a falling-out that was overshadowed by the politics of him replacing Leno in 2009. Due to poor reviews and ratings for “The Jay Leno Show,” NBC planned to move both it and “The Tonight Show” to later timeslots. O’Brien was so outraged that he quit the network, but Leno readily took his show back. This disillusioned O’Brien to a comedian he once admired. Though their feud is arguably less historic than the one with Letterman, O’Brien still believes Leno sold out his creative integrity and a colleague for the sake of business.
Oprah Winfrey on Personal Stories
Most assume that this journalist who became one of America's most powerful philanthropists has always believed in helping people open up. In fact, Oprah Winfrey favored light special interest stories while hosting shows in Baltimore and Chicago. Her nationally syndicated talk show debuted in 1986 with similarly soft pop psychology. But before “trash TV” sensationalized people’s lifestyles and anguish, there opened a market for true empathy. Two months into its first season, “The Oprah Winfrey Show” interviewed survivors and perpetrators of sexual abuse. Winfrey then built a media empire on sitting down with both ordinary people and public figures to humanely discuss difficult subjects. She showed that shining a light on humanity can be especially lucrative when done tastefully.
Megyn Kelly on Personal Pronouns
As trans discourse went mainstream during the 2010s, Megyn Kelly was something of an outlier among conservative commentators. She gave trans people, including minors, a platform with respect to their dignity and personal pronouns. She even clashed with Republican politicians in interviews about their anti-LGBTQ policies. But in 2023, Kelly announced on her podcast that she would no longer defer to personal pronouns. She believed that with the current climate, strict credence on trans issues distracted from women’s rights and promoted potentially unnecessary gender-affirming treatment for youths. The move was praised by many conservative commentators and condemned as transphobic by critics. Whether she was right in her decision, Kelly feels that there is a point of having “too much empathy.”
Tucker Carlson on Policy
Political commentator Tucker Carlson started as a voice for neoconservatism on CNN and MSNBC. He was a particularly prominent proponent for the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. A year later, he became disillusioned with the war and greater interventionist policies. Carlson’s move to Fox News in 2009 saw a drift toward protectionist ideologies that were popularized under Donald Trump’s presidency. “Tucker Carlson Tonight” became a preeminent apologist for Trumpism. However, a defamation suit against Fox News published text messages that suggested Carlson’s dismay over the President. The network then fired its biggest personality, who has become more scrutinizing of Trump on his podcast. Whatever his actual beliefs are, Carlson is certainly a complicated figure in conservative media.
Piers Morgan on Israel-Palestine Conflict
As one of the UK’s leading conservative commentators, Piers Morgan’s civility in discourse has varied through the years. He was still generally convicted in his beliefs, but circumstances changed after the 7 October attacks of 2023 sparked the Gaza War. Morgan defended the Israeli government’s military actions to weed out Hamas, particularly against Mehdi Hasan’s argument that this was a pretext to invade Palestine. In May of 2025, Morgan formally conceded to Hasan on the air. He had gradually become disillusioned with the war crimes and perceived genocidal activities perpetuated by Israel. Morgan seems to still argue for immediate peace between Israel and Palestine, but his exact sympathies have taken an unexpected turn.
Jerry Springer on His Own Show
By the mid-1990s, “The Jerry Springer Show” became a salacious platform for alternative lifestyles and personal conflicts. The host, previously a hard-hitting journalist, lawyer and politician, long defended the legitimacy of what was considered the peak of “trash TV.” Jerry Springer believed he democratically exposed Americans to underrepresented sections of society. At worst, he dismissed it as “silly” entertainment. But in an interview with The Independent four years after the end of the show, Springer remorsefully claimed that he “ruined culture.” He passed away three months after joking that he’ll have to answer for this in the afterlife. Springer leaves behind a complicated legacy, but even he felt that his representation of issues was more exploitative than societally helpful.
Dennis Miller on Conservatism
After “Saturday Night Live,” Dennis Miller pioneered late-night talk shows with intellectual yet crass political comedy. He claimed to not want to go on a rant, but frequently railed against the Republican establishment on liberal issues. Then, he changed his tune about President George W. Bush after 9/11. Miller’s sudden alignment with neoconservatism landed him a short-lived show on CNBC and regular appearances on Fox News. He gradually evolved into one of American comedy’s most prominent critics of the Democratic Party and progressive politics. Although he’s always held some conservative beliefs, Miller acknowledges that his feelings about policy have dramatically changed with age. Whether fans appreciate such a rebrand, it takes a lot for personalities to embrace that natural process.
Who are some other media personalities whose talk shows changed their talking points? Let's chat in the comments.
