Monologue: What Makes America Laugh Before Bed [Paperback]

Jon Macks is one of the greatest comedy writers of all time. —Chris Rock

A hilarious, revealing look behind the history and culture of American late-night TV, by a longtime comedy writer forThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Ever since Johnny Carson first popularized the late-night talk show in 1962 withThe Tonight Show, the eleven p.m. to two a.m. comedy time slot on network television has remained an indelible part of our national culture. More than six popular late-night shows air every night of the week, and with recent major shake-ups in the industry, late-night television has never been more relevant to our public consciousness than it is today. Jon Macks, a veteran writer forThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno, takes us behind the scenes of this world for an in-depth, colorful look at what really makes these hosts the arbiters of public opinion.

From the opening monologue—what’s funny, what’s dangerous, what’s untouchable—to the best vs. worst guests, Macks covers the landscape of late-night comedy and punctuates the narrative with hysterical personal anecdotes, shining the spotlight on some of the very best late night jokes, and drawing from more than half a million of his own jokes written over the span of twenty years. With an insider’s expertise and a laugh-out-loud voice, Macks explains how late-night TV redefines the news and events of any given day, reshapes public opinion, and even creates our national zeitgeist.“Macks, a longtime writer forThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno…examines not only what makes something funny, but also how a joke can help shape public opinion and public behavior and what constitutes inappropriate material…readers looking for some behind-the-scenes intel on the big stars and the popular late-night shows won’t be disappointed….Without Jon Stewart on late night, fans may need something else to do: this ls&