Jay Leno on avoiding politics: It’s nice to hear ‘a comedian just be funny’

Jay Leno says he has given up on discussing politics on comedy sets because it tends to take the fun out of his stand-up shows.

“We live in this era right now. I don't even play politics in my acts anymore,” the former “Tonight Show” host told ITK in a recent interview.

“The audience is like an orchestra. “You're there and you're getting the laughs,” Leno said. “Then you get into the politics.”

“Oh no,” Leno said with an exasperated groan.

“It gets mean. They want to hear what the joke is — whether it's about my boyfriend or my boyfriend.”

“They don't think about jokes. They think about the meaning of jokes,” said the 73-year-old entertainer, who hosted NBC's late-night talk show until 2014.

“So for me, I don't do it anymore. I find that very annoying,” said Leno, who still performs around the country.

“I think the audience likes it better. I hope they come to comedy shows to get away from politics,” he said.

“I think everyone's opinions are well taken into account. It's nice to hear a singer just sing or a comedian just be funny.”

But Leno, who told ITK in 2020 that he would support Joe Biden in that year's presidential election, made it clear that his choice to avoid political punchlines doesn't apply to all comedians.

“If you're going to go see political comedian Stephen Colbert, that's what you want,” Leno said of the host of the politically charged CBS “Late Show.”

“But a lot of times, people just want to hear comedy,” Leno says. “That's what I like.”