And it all may soon be coming to an end. In 2025 we saw the biggest tumult in the world of late night TV since Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien were at odds back in 2010, a dustup that seems like an amusing kerfuffle these days.

There were previous hosts of "The Tonight Show," TV pioneers who made their mark on the burgeoning late-night talk show form. These include Steve Allen, quick-witted and spirited; Ernie Kovacs, experimental and bold; and Jack Paar, intelligent and stubborn.

Seth Meyers and Jimmy Kimmel paid tribute to Rob Reiner after he and his wife were slain, slamming Trump for his comments on the director's murder.

In September, ABC temporarily suspended “Jimmy Kimmel Live” after FCC Chairman Brendan Carr threatened regulatory action against ABC and Disney in the wake of a joke Kimmel made about Trump’s response to the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Trump then suggested Seth Meyers and Jimmy Fallon should be the next television hosts to go.

There was a somber tone across the late night shows on Monday night, as the hosts all took a moment to pay tribute to the late Rob Reiner, who was brutally killed over the weekend along with his wife Michele.

A former GOP speechwriter bashed PresidentDonald Trump on Wednesday after the president went on a late-night "hate tweeting" session. Late Tuesday night, Trump fired off a series of posts on Truth Social about late-night television hosts who have criticized him.

Late-night television has had a wounding year; The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was canceled ahead of David Ellison’s purchase of Paramount, Jimmy Kimmel was taken off air following a furor around Charlie Kirk’s murder and CBS axed its 12:30am slot.