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Here it is, your moment of Zen. On July 22, 1996, The Daily Show went live on Comedy Central. Over the next 30 years, the late-night staple would become the network's longest-running and most acclaimed original series, earning 28 Emmys, three Peabodys, and countless other accolades.
But OG fans will remember that the show looked a little different in those early years - OK, maybe a lot different. In its first incarnation, The Daily Show leaned more heavily into sports and pop-culture material than political satire, reflecting the skills and interests of the inaugural host, Craig Kilborn. A local sports anchor in California before being called up to the big time to anchor the ESPN institution, SportsCenter, Kilborn became Comedy Central's first-round draft pick when it decided to get into the late-night game.
Kilborn ended up staying in the host's chair for three years, decamping to emcee The Late Late Show on CBS in 1998. During that time, he created signature Daily Show bits like the aforementioned "Moment of Zen," and notched the first awards attention the series received: a CableACE Award nod for Best Entertainment Host. Jon Stewart succeeded Kilborn as ringmaster in 1999 and the rest is TV history that you probably already know.
To celebrate The Daily Show's 30th anniversary, Gold Derby spoke with Kilborn for lesser-known details about the series' early beginnings, including his favorite segments and guests.
Gold Derby: Take us back to the launch of The Daily Show in 1996.
Craig Kilborn: I was doing ESPN SportsCenter, where I did a lot of jokes and pop-culture references. Doug Herzog, the network president of Comedy Central, loved it. He came up with the idea for The Daily Show. It was a working title, and it was parodying the news, which had been done before, obviously. There was"Weekend Update" on Saturday Night Live and Not Necessarily the News on HBO. Doug said he wanted "a Craig Kilborn type," and my agent said, "Craig actually wants to do comedy." So I got the gig.
Your tenure was less focused on political satire, which the show later became known for. Talk about establishing the tone in those early years.
My humor is irreverent. My favorite late-night host is Johnny Carson, followed by David Letterman; but for pure comedy, Conan O'Brien is the funniest guy, and his comedy is irreverent. A lot of viewers told me they really liked my interviews and the "5 Questions" segment where I would ask things like: "What are the two key ingredients in a BLT that makes it magical?" The guests would answer, and I'd say, "No! It's the mayonnaise and the bacon, the grease on the grease."
Probably the most irreverent thing I did was that every Thursday I'd say "All I want to do is dance, dance, dance." Then I'd shift my head to three cameras and I'd dance for a little bit.
You've said in previous interviews that there were some "major disconnects" regarding the show's creative direction. What were those?
I always knew The Daily Show was put together the wrong way, and produced the wrong way. When I was there, they didn't want a host-driven show, which, in my humble opinion, is unrealistic and unsustainable. It simply defies the basics of late night. But I never said anything for a number of reasons. I'm a nice guy - I'm not that aggressive. We had a show to launch, and there was no time for a restructure.
Also, why create waves when I wanted to leave anyway? I wanted to do a traditional network late-night show. So I ignored the silliness and the dysfunction and had a blast hosting The Daily Show. And I really enjoyed the end of the week when I would stand up from behind the desk and take my slender frame and… dance, dance, dance.
What was it like moving from The Daily Show to taking over The Late Late Show?
It was my favorite show to host, because it was my show, and it was produced the right way. The interviews were limited on The Daily Show to four minutes, which is kind of ridiculous, so I would do longer interviews, because I was a huge Johnny Carson fan - he was smooth, sophisticated, and he's considered the best late-night interviewer. Also, I know New York's arguably the greatest city in the world, and I'm glad I got to live there, but I like California for the sunshine and the space.
What are some of your personal highlights from your time in the host's chair?
I interviewed some interesting people at The Daily Show. John Cleese was enjoyable. Side note - sometimes when you do these shows, the guests invite you out for dinner! Bill Murray is the funniest man in the world to some of us; he was really good to me on The Daily Show, and then he was my first guest on the CBS show. There's some comedy segment that I really like. When I was at CBS, I came up with this game called Yambo. When I retired and left, Jimmy Kimmel sent me a note and said, "Can I please have Yambo?"
You returned to The Daily Show last year, narrating a piece about Stephen A. Smith. How was the experience of coming back - even if it was just lending your voice - after being away for so long?
Kira Klang Hopf is the longest-tenured person there. She was a PA when I was there, and she's a producer there now. She's my biggest supporter, and she got me to do that.
Are you surprised by the longevity the show has had?
Not really. When I was there, the network said: "Hey, Craig, the critics like us! We're the underdog." The media was always very friendly to us at The Daily Show.
What does The Daily Show mean to you personally?
My favorite job was The Late Late Show, and I could not have gotten it without The Daily Show. I couldn't have jumped from ESPN to The Late Late Show, so I needed The Daily Show. I was so into comedy then. One of my jokes is "I'm not into comedy as much as I used to be, I'm just into acting superior." There's a different type of irreverent comedy that I'm doing now in film.
You're making your directorial debut soon. Tell us about The Life Golden.
The logline is: a reclusive aristocrat has his idyllic world rocked by a kidnapping, and in the process, falls in love with someone other than himself. I like murder mysteries, and I love old films. There are homages to Hitchcock and The Great Gatsby in the script. My character is named Griffin Gates and he lives in the Hollywood Hills.
Tom Byrne from The Crown narrates the story and Rainey Qualley plays my character's girlfriend. The lead actress is Lauren German from Lucifer, who's fantastic - she really pops off the screen.There's a love triangle of sorts. Writing, directing, and co-starring in it is very rewarding and really creative. I'm editing now, which will take a few months, and we're working on the music. It'll be out next year.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
