Our picks
Must Share Jokes has taken on the challenge of ranking the Top 8 talk hosts:
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| Dave
Why we love him: Letterman is simply the King. His stammering delivery, disarming smile, and low-impact wit make him easily one of the most likable personalities on TV. His gentle teasing puts his guests at ease and makes them look good — very much in the style of his hero, the great Johnny Carson. And in 5 years, Dave will have outdistanced Carson's 30-year run. That's a hell of a lot of Top 10s.
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| | Stephen
Why we love him: Colbert is the 21st Century's first truly great satirist. In a time when club-you-over-the-head comedy reigns supreme, he's brought back the lost art of ironic parody. If nothing else, the cojones of his performance at the 2006 White House Correspondents Dinner should have earned him a Presidential Medal of Freedom... though probably not from this president. Maybe the next one will get the joke.
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| | Jon
Why we love him: Who'd have thought comedy could be heroic? Jon Stewart doesn't joke about the news; on The Daily Show, the news is the joke. With Stewart as America's top bullshit cop, there is no spin that cannot be unspun, no sound bite that can't be put to better use. The great irony is, all kidding aside, you'll get a more honest and insightful take on the day's events from this guy than from any news outlet.
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| | Bill
Why we love him: Granted, Maher's unapologetically libertarian brand of humor probably doesn't play well in the red states, but for those of us who love a good Bush-skewering, Real Time is one of life's not-so-guilty pleasures. Whether he's comparing Jesus to an "imaginary friend" or postulating that all Republicans are secretly gay, there's one thing you can always count on: Bill Maher does not hold back.
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| | Jay
Why we love him: Leno sticks to his strengths. For 16 years, he's put his considerable stand-up chops to good use, anchoring The Tonight Show with TV's longest and most consistently funny opening monologues. He's also our hardest-working host, rarely taking a day off and cranking out more new material than the rest of his colleagues combined. And if there's one thing we love, it's a steady supply of new jokes.
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| | Jimmy
Why we love him: He |
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| | Conan
Why we love him: Triumph the Insult-Comic Dog. The Masturbating Bear. Desk driving. Syncro-Vox celebrity interviews. In the Year 2000. If They Mated. The Walker: Texas Ranger Lever. The Horny Manatee. Pimpbot 5000. "Inappropriate!" Actual Items. Andy's sister. Lullabies. Abe Vigoda. With all this comic fodder, who needs a monologue — or guests, for that matter? We do kind of miss Andy, though.
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| | Craig
Why we love him: He |
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OK, your turn: Who's the best host?
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