Talk Shows

Tonya Mosley interviews late night host Arsenio Hall about his new memoir, Arsenio

Stephen Colbert and Evie McGee Colbert. They're partners in their marriage, as well as in their production company, and she makes regular appearances on his CBS show, "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert." Now they have a new cookbook they co-authored with the great title, "Does This Taste Funny?: Recipes Our Family Loves."

Stand-up comedian and late-night talk show host Taylor Tomlinson. She hosts CBS' "After Midnight," which bills itself as the smartest show on TV about the dumbest things on the internet.

Donahue, who died Aug. 18, hosted an issue-oriented, afternoon talk show that paved the way for Oprah and others. David Bianculli offers an appreciation, and we listen back to a 1985 interview.

The Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? host, who died July 24, held the Guinness World Record for clocking more hours on camera than anyone else in the history of TV. Originally broadcast in 2011.

Jimmy Fallon talks about hosting The Tonight Show and lots of other things including his new children's book, and a bizarre injury to his finger that landed him in the ICU for ten days.

Last night, after 33 years on TV as a late-night talk show host, David Letterman presented his final program. David Bianculli says Letterman's final show was a strong end to an illustrious career.

The off-beat funnyman retires this month after 33 years hosting late-night television. Fresh Air's David Bianculli says that David Letterman's humor "provided a new blueprint for the TV talk show."

The Late Late Show with James Corden fills the post-David Letterman time slot on CBS. TV critic David Bianculli says that based on first impressions, Corden will "settle in nicely."

Wilmore is still fine-tuning The Nightly Show, which fill the late-night spot on Comedy Central vacated by Stephen Colbert. The show launched just as Wilmore's 20-year marriage was coming to an end.

Franklin was a talk-show host for more than 40 years. Guests ranged from Elvis Presley, Woody Allen and Barbra Streisand. He died Jan. 24 at 88 years old. In 1988, Franklin talked with Terry Gross.

On Monday night, Comedy Central premiered former Daily Show correspondent Larry Wilmore's new show. While Wilmore's sarcastic comments on clips were funny, the round-table discussion didn't sparkle.

Ahead of The Colbert Report's last episode, Fresh Air listens back to interviews with Colbert. "I didn't realize quite how liberal I was until I was asked to make passionate comedic choices," he said.

The comedian who was a correspondent on The Daily Show for 7 1/2 years now pokes fun on Last Week Tonight. Oliver talks about tasing his leg, temping for a thief and remaining an outsider.

The late-night talk show, imported by BBC America, has been around for years. TV critic David Bianculli says it's never been better — it's like eavesdropping on an all-star cocktail party.

Myers left a dream job hosting Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update to take over Late Night from Jimmy Fallon. Meyers says not having a mic in hand -- like he did in standup -- took some adjusting.

On Monday night, Jimmy Fallon paid homage to 60 years of Tonight Show history while claiming his own place in line. "I just want to do the best I can and take care of the show for a while," he said. "If you guys let me stick around long enough maybe I'll get the hang of it."

Two new shows from Netflix -- House of Cards and Orange is the New Black -- changed the TV landscape, but Bianculli's top pick for 2013 is AMC's Breaking Bad. "It ended as brilliantly as it began," he says. "I'm so grateful for that series."

After hosting his Sunday morning show on MSNBC for the past year and a half, Hayes is making the move to a weeknight news show that premieres April 1. At 34, Hayes will be the youngest prime-time anchor on any of the major cable news channels.

This year, the late-night talk-show host set up camp in the 11:35 p.m. slot, which put him head-to-head with Jay Leno and Kimmel's idol, David Letterman. Kimmel has put a personal mark on his show by bringing in his family to help him make it happen.