The 15 Best Props, Gimmicks and Recurring Gags in the History of Late Night

We can’t wait to see what clip Paul Rudd brought this time!
The 15 Best Props, Gimmicks and Recurring Gags in the History of Late Night

If a late night show is fortunate enough to go the distance, they’re gonna need to fill some time. And what better way than a solid sketch or recurring segment? The classic “monologue, guest, guest, musical or stand-up act” format is classic for a reason, but bits and recurring gags are what sets each show apart. Yes the talented and beautiful guests that come and go are quite entertaining, but we come back night after night for the host and his particular brand of funny.

The best recurring gags are the ones that bring out the overall vibe of the show. The Masturbating Bear would seem out of place on Letterman, and Leno was way too affable to have celebrities read mean tweets. We don’t have a lever that can play a clip, but we can pull the lever on “The 15 Best Props, Gimmicks and Recurring Gags in the History of Late Night.”

Seth Meyers’ rivalry with Wally the cue card guy.

Recurring at Late Night Seth Meyers vs. Wally the Cue Card Guy After 30 years of SNL cue cards, Wally Feresten joined Late Night with Seth Myers. Ribbing from Seth snowballed into recurring bits where Wally read creepy poetry or went field reporting. Myers says that fans stop to tell him, We want more Wally! SETH, TO ME YOU ARE PERFECT! CRACKED

NBC

The Herald News

Celebrities read Mean Tweets.

Recurring at Late Night Jimmy Kimmel's Mean Tweets A staple of Jimmy Kimmel Live, Mean Tweets first aired in March 2012 and featured Will Ferrell on the toilet. It has featured the biggest celebrities, sports figures, and even President Obama. @BelmarCPA Will Ferrell is overrated. Sorry, but he jus CRACKED

ABC

The Wrap

John Oliver shows that some traditions are ridiculous.

Recurring at Late Night John Oliver's How is this still a thing? On Last Week Tonight, Oliver perfectly satirizes outdated traditions like daylight savings time or halloween costumes of other races by showing us just how ridiculous they are. HOW IS THIS STILL A THING CRACKED

HBO

Bustle

Johnny Carson’s love of magic.

Recurring at Late Night Johnny Carson featured a ton of magicians Originally wanting to be a magician, his first performance was as The Great Carsoni at age 14. Не used the show to feature dozens of magicians, and show off his own talents. CRACKED

NBC

IMDb

Jay Leno goes “Jaywalking.”

Recurring at Late Night Jaywalking During Jay Leno's tenure on The Tonight Show, Jay hit the streets, asked people simple questions, and got some ridiculously dumb answers. Fan-favorite interviewees Kip & Kim got their own recurring segment, What Would Kip & Kim Do? CRACKED

NBC

Us Weekly

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