Most popular late-night hosts of all time

- Have positive opinion of: 46%
- Have heard of: 72%

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 positive opinion of: 46%
- Have heard of: 81%

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 positive opinion of: 47%
- Have heard of: 77%

Mike Wallace is best known for his four decades as a correspondent on "60 Minutes." But before his time on the storied CBS news program began in 1968, Wallace hosted two hard-hitting talk shows in the 1950s: "Night Beat" and "The Mike Wallace Interview." The former was one of the first half-hour newscasts in TV history, airing Tuesdays through Fridays at 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. and consisting of news segments and sit-down interviews. "We were dinner conversation," Wallace later told the Television Academy Foundation. "Everybody in sports, in theater, in movies, when they came to town, in politics… everybody wanted to be on 'Night Beat.'"

"The Mike Wallace Interview" technically isn't late-night by this list's standards (it ran once a week on ABC at 10:30 p.m.) but it continued to lay the groundwork for Wallace's cut-throat interview style. He interviewed a wide range of iconic figures, from authors (like Ayn Rand and Aldous Huxley) and actors (like Gloria Swanson and Tony Perkins) to legendary architects and artists (Frank Lloyd Wright and Salvador Dalí). Wallace lived until he was 93 in 2012.

- Have positive opinion of: 47%
- Have heard of: 82%

Peter Jennings anchored "ABC World News Tonight" for 22 years, rounding out the "Big Three" news anchors who got their big breaks in the 1980s: Jennings, Tom Brokaw of "NBC Nightly News," and Dan Rather of "CBS Evening News." Most people may not think of Jennings as a late-night host, but he actually hosted two late-night series in the 1960s: "Vue" on CJOH-TV in Ottawa, Canada, and then "CTV World News," which he co-anchored at just 23 years old. Soon thereafter, he'd move stateside to ABC and eventually make history with his coverage of the Sept. 11 attacks. Four months after announcing his lung cancer diagnosis on the air in 2005, he died at the age of 67.

- Have positive opinion of: 49%
- Have heard of: 77%

British comedian John Oliver honed his cutting-edge political humor on stand-up 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." The show, which kicks off its 12th season in February 2025, has won 30 Emmys and is frequently praised for its insightful musings and for pressing on political, social, and cultural issues.

- Have positive opinion of: 49%
- Have heard of: 83%

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 positive opinion of: 50%
- Have heard of: 86%

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 Outstanding 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 and is currently slated to stay on through December 2025.

- Have positive opinion of: 50%
- Have heard of: 85%

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!," writing a children's book called "I'm Not Scared, You're Scared," and filming a stand-up special, "Seth Meyers: Dad Man Walking," which was nominated for a 2025 Golden Globe.

- Have positive opinion of: 51%
- Have heard of: 76%

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 positive opinion of: 51%
- Have heard of: 85%

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." In 2023, she even guest-hosted "The Daily Show" after Trevor Noah left the gig in 2022. She's been nominated for 17 Emmys and won one for her writing on "The Chris Rock Show."

- Have positive opinion of: 52%
- Have heard of: 88%

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 30 Emmy nominations.

- Have positive opinion of: 53%
- Have heard of: 88%

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 positive opinion of: 54%
- Have heard of: 94%

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, which earned him an Emmy in 2024.

- Have positive opinion of: 54%
- Have heard of: 95%

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 Murders in the Building," usually as himself.

- Have positive opinion of: 54%
- Have heard of: 85%

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 positive opinion of: 55%
- Have heard of: 93%

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 positive opinion of: 55%
- Have heard of: 81%

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 positive opinion of: 55%
- Have heard of: 93%

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 positive opinion of: 57%
- Have heard of: 95%

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 ends in 2025.

- Have positive opinion of: 62%
- Have heard of: 83%

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.

Additional writing by Jaimie Etkin. Data reporting by Luke Hicks. Story editing by Jaimie Etkin. Copy editing by Tim Bruns. Photo selection by Lacy Kerrick.