Who is On Late Night Tonight in Comedy: Week of August 5, 2019

Who’s on Late Night Tonight in Comedy?

Looking at this week’s highlights for the late night talk shows, let’s jump ahead to Thursday of this week and the “Special Guest Mystery”. Here’s what’s happening. Each week, all the late night talkers send out a press release of their upcoming guests for that week. Well this week, a majority of the shows had something in common on Thursday. In addition to all their other celebrity guests, each one listed the words “Special Guest” for that night. So, we could be looking at some hush-hush secret late night event that will be unveiled on Thursday.

Is this somehow all connected and are all the late night shows going to somehow have an appearance from the same “Special Guest”!? Could this be a major Presidential campaign announcement from a superstar candidate!? Could Thursday’s special guest be Oprah throwing her hat in the ring!? Or are we just reading too much into some network press releases!? The only way to find out is to check out the shows on Thursday night.

Here’s a list of the late night shows that have a “Special Guest” scheduled for Thursday: Conan, the Tonight Show, the Late Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and Late Night. Hopefully, this will turn out to be some historic television across-the-board stunt with Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel and Seth Meyers all in on it. Or it could all just be an odd coincidence? Find out Thursday when the answer to the “Special Guest Mystery” is revealed!

Jumping back to the beginning of the week, Monday is an incredible night for late night comedy. Three of the biggest, rising names in comedy are all appearing on the same night. Julio Torres, probably best known for being a writer on Saturday Night Live, will be on the Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon to promote his new HBO comedy special “Julio Torres: My Favorite Shapes“. It’s a multi-media event that only the Space Prince himself could pull off. “Julio Torres: My Favorite Shapes” premieres Saturday, August 10th at 10:30pm on HBO.

Also on Monday, Sebastian Maniscalco appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Sebastian is one of the most popular arena touring stand ups working today. He’s currently preparing to kick off his Fall, 2019 “You Bother Me Tour.” But he’s got one important thing to do though before heading back out on the road. He’s hosting the VMAs at the end of this month. This hosting gig has been traditionally used as a launch pad to take comedians to a whole new level. Previous hosts have included Chris Rock, Chelsea Handler, Arsenio Hall, Russell Brand, and Kevin Hart. Sebastian Maniscalco hosts the 2019 MTV Music Video Awards on Monday, August 26th at 8pm on MTV.

And if that wasn’t enough to start your week, one of the most talked-about comedians in the world, Hannah Gadsby, will be on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Monday night. Hannah’s controversial show “Nanette” was the talk of the comedy world when it premiered in 2017 and she’s now on tour with her follow-up one-person performance. Obviously, she hasn’t retired from stand up. Hannah Gadsby’s new live show “Douglas” is touring now and is currently at the Daryl Roth Theatre in New York City, now through September 7th, before it goes international. Go to HannahGadsby.com.au for NYC ticket information.

Looking at Tuesday night, Robin Thede will be a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Robin Thede is the creator and star of “A Black Lady Sketch Show” on HBO. Robin was the head writer for “The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore” and has put together a history-making sketch comedy show for HBO. What’s so groundbreaking about another sketch show? Glad you asked. It’s the first sketch show with an cast entirely black woman cast, plus the series has the first all-black women writers room, and in case that wasn’t history-making enough, each episode will be directed by a black woman, Dime Davis (“Boomerang” – the TV series). Careful where you walk. There’s glass from the ceiling breaking all over the place at HBO.

On Wednesday, speaking of groundbreaking, the iconic Sandra Bernhard whose appearances on Late Night with David Letterman became the thing of legend, will return to Late Night (the one currently hosted by Seth Meyers,) to talk about her series “Pose.” The FX original is a period series about the ballroom culture of the 1980s in New York City and “Pose” features the cast with the most transgender actors in the history of television. Sandra Bernhard co-stars in “Pose“, Tuesday nights at 10pm et on FX.

Also on Wednesday, one of our favorite comedians, Christina Pazsitzky, joins the Lights Out panel to help David Spade skewer everything currently happening in pop culture. Her latest hour stand up special, “Christina Pazsitzky: Mother Inferior,” is currently available for streaming on Netflix and you can see Christine P live in Boston, coming up on September 7th at The Wilbur.

It’s a full week in late night which ends on Friday with a new episode of Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO at 10pm and on Saturday with an SNL repeat which is one of the funnier, quirkier episodes from last season with host Steve Carell and musical guest Ella Mai which originally aired last fall.

It’s getting late. Time to get up and watch some TV.

Monday on Late Night

  • Julio Torres is on the Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:30pm on NBC
  • Sebastian Maniscalco is on Jimmy Kimmel Live at 11:30pm on ABC
  • Hannah Gadsby is on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:30pm on CBS
  • Moshe Kasher is on Lights Out with David Spade at 11:30pm on Comedy Central
  • Natasha Leggero is on Lights Out with David Spade at 11:30pm on Comedy Central
  • Chelsea Peretti is on Lights Out with David Spade at 11:30pm on Comedy Central

Tuesday on Late Night

  • Robin Thede is on Jimmy Kimmel Live at 11:30pm on ABC
  • Ben Stiller is on Jimmy Kimmel Live at 11:30pm on ABC
  • Melissa McCarthy is on the Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:30am on CBS
  • Jon Lovitz is on the Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:30pm on NBC
  • Nick Kroll is on Lights Out with David Spade at 11:30pm on Comedy Central
  • Fortune Feimster is on Lights Out with David Spade at 11:30pm on Comedy Central
  • Ian Edwards is on Lights Out with David Spade at 11:30pm on Comedy Central

Wednesday on Late Night

  • Tiffany Haddish is on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:30pm on CBS
  • Sandra Bernhard is on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:30am on NBC
  • Christina Pazsitzky is on Lights Out with David Spade at 11:30pm on Comedy Central
  • Kevin Nealon is on Lights Out with David Spade at 11:30pm on Comedy Central
  • Guy Branum is on Lights Out with David Spade at 11:30pm on Comedy Central
  • Josh Gad is on Jimmy Kimmel Live at 11:30pm on ABC
  • Joel McHale is on the Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:30am on CBS
  • Becky Lucas is on Conan at 11pm on TBS (REPEAT)
  • Tig Notaro is on Conan at 11pm on TBS (REPEAT)

Thursday on Late Night

  • Special Guest scheduled for Conan at 11pm on TBS
  • Special Guest scheduled for the Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:30pm on NBC
  • Lil Rel Howery is on the Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:30pm on NBC
  • Special Guest scheduled for Jimmy Kimmel Live at 11:30pm on ABC
  • Leslie Jones is on Jimmy Kimmel Live at 11:30pm on ABC
  • Special Guest scheduled for the Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:30pm on CBS
  • Special Guest scheduled for Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:30am on NBC
  • Robin Thede is on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:30am on NBC
  • Josh Gad is on the Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:30am on CBS
  • Pete Holmes is on Lights Out with David Spade at 11:30pm on Comedy Central
  • Tony Rock is on Lights Out with David Spade at 11:30pm on Comedy Central
  • Josh Wolf is on Lights Out with David Spade at 11:30pm on Comedy Central

Friday on Late Night

  • New episode of Real Time with Bill Maher at 10pm on HBO
  • John Oliver is on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:30am on NBC (REPEAT)

Saturday Night Live

  • Steve Carell hosts an SNL repeat with musical guest Ella Mai from November 17, 2018

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