The overlap refers to the point in time when two talk shows air simultaneously. This happens every weekday evening from 10-11pm EST, when The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS overlaps with The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on NBC. Both shows often feature celebrity interviews and musical guests to entertain their audiences. Fans eagerly anticipate who the special guests will be on each show during the overlap hour.
Regular Guests
Both The Late Show and The Tonight Show have their own set of regular celebrity guests who make frequent appearances. On The Late Show, Stephen Colbert often welcomes actors and comedians like Tom Hanks, Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, and Melissa McCarthy. Musicians like Paul McCartney, Sting, James Taylor, and John Legend have all made multiple visits to perform on the show as well.
Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show also has its own crew of repeat guests. Comedic actors like Kristen Wiig, Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, and Tina Fey regularly stop by. Jimmy also frequently invites major music stars like Justin Timberlake, Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, and Blake Shelton to chat and sing on the show.
Surprise Guests
In addition to their regulars, both late night shows also aim to book special surprise celebrity guests to generate buzz. These are often major A-list stars who do not regularly appear on late night TV.
Some of Jimmy Fallon’s biggest surprise Tonigh Show guests have included Jennifer Lopez, Taylor Swift, Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford, Ryan Gosling, and Meryl Streep. The Tonight Show has also secured exclusive high-profile late night musical performances from artists like Adele, Beyonce, and Ed Sheeran.
Meanwhile, Stephen Colbert has landed surprise visits on The Late Show from stars like Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Reese Witherspoon, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Mila Kunis. He has also booked unexpected rock icons like Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, and Mick Jagger to take over the Ed Sullivan Theater with epic performances.
Guests Promoting Projects
One key reason celebrities appear on late night shows is to promote their latest films, TV shows, albums, or events. Studying the guest lists can serve as an indicator of who and what is about to drop.
For example, in early 2023, The Late Show welcomed Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Viola Davis, Daniel Craig, Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, Michelle Yeoh, and other major stars within a span of just a few weeks. It signaled promotion for their upcoming Oscar hopeful films like Elvis, Babylon, The Woman King, Glass Onion, and Everything Everywhere All At Once.
Likewise, The Tonight Show often books clusters of guests from hit shows and movies to plug their new seasons and releases. Stranger Things, This Is Us, Black Panther 2, and Knives Out 2 casts all made concentrated appearances around their launch dates.
This promotional aspect of booking guests who have projects to publicize helps explain the thinking behind some of the celebrity scheduling.
Competition for Guests
Because they air at the same time, The Late Show and The Tonight Show inevitably end up competing for guests on many nights. Both shows’ booking teams are constantly trying to land the biggest, buzziest stars they can get.
Exclusive on-air musical performances are especially coveted. In recent years, Jimmy Fallon has scored major gets like Justin Bieber, BTS, Paul McCartney, and Taylor Swift performing on The Tonight Show only. Meanwhile, The Late Show has had exclusive on-air concerts from artists like Bruce Springsteen, Lady Gaga, and Ed Sheeran.
When it comes to interviews, sometimes a star will choose to appear on only one of the shows. Other times, a celebrity will do back-to-back interviews on both programs on the same night. This forces Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon to both bring their A-game, since their interview will air alongside the other’s.
Booking Around Breaking News
As live topical shows, The Late Show and Tonight Show also have to be ready to scrap their previously booked guests when major breaking news happens.
Big political events, elections, hearings, scandals, tragedies, and current events often force sudden changes to the late night lineups. Both shows’ booking teams are accustomed to dealing with these developments. They have become experts at reacting in real-time and filling their guest slots on short notice as news unfolds.
For example, following Queen Elizabeth II’s death in September 2022, both shows immediately rearranged their plans and featured guests who could appropriately discuss the historic news and reflect on the Queen’s life and legacy.
Following Guest Announcements
To find out who the freshly booked guests will be on each evening’s overlap shows, there are a few main places to check during the week:
- The Late Show and Tonight Show’s official Twitter accounts frequently tweet out their upcoming lineups for the week ahead
- The shows’ Instagram and Facebook pages also share guest announcements
- The websites thelate.show and tonightshow.com list their full guest schedules
- Sites like late-night-guests.com aggregate the guest lists from all the major late night shows in one place
Monitoring these sources can provide the most up-to-date information on who is set to appear on each show throughout the week. Of course, celebrity guests are still subject to change based on unforseen circumstances, but initial bookings get revealed here.
Notable Overlap Guest Pairings
When two major stars appear on the overlapping late night shows on the same night, it creates extra buzz and fuels viewer discussions over who had the better interviews and performances. Here are some especially memorable celebrity pairings from recent overlap episodes:
| Date | The Late Show Guest | The Tonight Show Guest |
|---|---|---|
| October 3, 2022 | Margot Robbie | Ryan Gosling |
| September 12, 2022 | Oprah Winfrey | Hillary Clinton |
| February 1, 2022 | Adele | Lady Gaga |
| December 15, 2021 | Will Smith | Denzel Washington |
| November 17, 2021 | Paul McCartney | Taylor Swift |
As this table illustrates, when two major celebrities like these appear against each other, it creates a unique nighttime programming showdown for late night viewers.
Classic Memorable Guests
In addition to present-day celebrity guests, The Late Show and The Tonight Show have hosted countless iconic stars throughout their runs stretching back to the 1950s and ’60s. Looking through their archives reveals memorable appearances from all-time greats.
Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show featured legendary interviews and performances from the likes of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Bob Hope, Muhammad Ali, Lucille Ball, Michael Jackson, and Elizabeth Taylor.
Similarly, classic Late Show guests under previous hosts like David Letterman and Stephen Colbert have included remarkable talents like Audrey Hepburn, Tom Cruise, Jerry Seinfeld, Madonna, Robin Williams, Aretha Franklin, and more. Decade after decade, the top overlap shows manage to land the hottest stars of the era.
International Guests
In addition to Hollywood celebrities and American musicians, the New York-based late night shows also frequently book major international talents. They help attract global viewership.
Over the years, worldwide superstars like David Beckham, Adele, Ed Sheeran, Shakira, Rihanna, Emma Watson, Daniel Craig, Amy Winehouse, and bands like The Beatles and One Direction have crossed the pond for big appearances. K-pop groups like BTS and BLACKPINK have also recently made high-profile visits.
These overseas guests offer fresh diversity to the lineups and allow foreign fans to see their favorite stars participate in American late night television.
Political Guests
Being based in New York City also gives The Late Show and Tonight Show access to many major political and news figures. Sitting down for late night interviews has become a prime way for politicians to show more casual, personable sides of themselves.
Former President Obama appeared on The Late Show multiple times over the years, boosting his approval ratings. Joe Biden, Mike Pence, Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton and other major politicians have also made off-election cycle stops by the late shows. Plus foreign leaders like Justin Trudeau, Boris Johnson, and Emmanuel Macron have also been surprise interview guests discussing global issues.
These influential political guests offer insight on current events and lighthearted banter outside the traditional news cycle.
Comedians Testing Material
Stand-up comedians frequently book slots on late night shows to test out their new material on a national audience. For many rising comics, appearing on The Tonight Show was a career milestone that signaled they had officially made it in the comedy world.
Today’s special guests who are working comics will often come armed with fresh jokes they want to workshop in front of the late night viewers. Gabriel Iglesias, Hasan Minhaj, Wanda Sykes, and other popular touring stand-ups will try out parts of their developing acts on TV.
Their comedy club sets have to evolve over time, so testing on The Late Show and Tonight Show lets them gauge reactions to fine tune their jokes.
Athlete Appearances
Top athletes from various sports also make regular late night rounds. After championship games and titles, it has become tradition for major winning teams and athletes to celebrate by making the media circuit.
Championship winning teams from the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, Olympics, World Cup, tennis, and more have appeared on the late shows immediately following their big victories. Sports heroes like Serena Williams, Simone Biles, Steph Curry, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Michael Phelps, and Mikaela Shiffrin have all stopped by after major accomplishments.
These sports segments allow them to be recognized for their achievements and introduce their personalities in front of new audiences.
Broadway Performances
The New York-based late shows frequently host Broadway musical performers to highlight current hit productions.
Blocks of tickets are set aside for these shows so their casts can easily attend. This allows lead actors from hot Broadway shows like Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, Book of Mormon, Wicked, The Lion King, and more to give showstopping musical numbers after curtain call.
Live Broadway performances have been a staple throughout late night history, helping sell tickets and promoting the best of New York theatre to national viewers.
The Animal Guests
In addition to human guests, the late shows also book a wide array of animal guests to entertain their audiences.
The Tonight Show in particular is known for segments featuring huggable, unpredictable animals. Jimmy Fallon has welcomed sloths, cheetahs, panda bears, llamas, piglets, corgis, kangaroos, alpacas, penguins, owls, and countless other cute, exotic creatures. They add an element of surprise and tend to go viral online.
Meanwhile, Stephen Colbert features recurring animal handler segments with a wide range of animals like rabbits, hawks, and hedgehogs. These unlikely guests always charm the crowds and provide lighthearted moments.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, landing special celebrity guests with star power is a key to success and ratings for The Late Show and Tonight Show during their overlap hour. That’s why their booking teams work tirelessly to secure the hottest, most newsworthy, talked about talents available. They aim to provide viewers with fun, engaging interviews and performances from must-see stars and public figures during those coveted late night time slots five nights a week. The strategic booking decisions provide insight into who and what is capturing the public’s imagination at any given moment in time. So next time you tune into the late show overlap, look out for those revealing marquee guest names giving a snapshot of today’s pop culture landscape.
