A candid podcast conversation has put actor Vince Vaughn back in the spotlight — this time for his sharp criticism of modern late-night television.
According to Page Six, while speaking on This Past Weekend with host Theo Von, Vaughn argued that many talk shows have drifted away from entertainment and into political messaging, a shift he believes audiences have rejected.
“They never get it right,” the “Wedding Crashers” actor said. “I think that talk shows, to a large part, became really agenda-based.”
Vaughn, 55, suggested the change has made the genre feel less genuine over time.
“They were going to [evangelize] people to what they thought. You know what I mean? And so people just rejected it because it didn’t feel authentic. It felt like they had an agenda,” he continued.
The actor pointed to what he sees as a decline in humor as political commentary became more prominent.
“It started feeling like I was f–king in a class I didn’t want to take,” he added. “I’m getting scolded.”
While Vaughn didn’t specifically name individuals, his remarks appeared to allude to high-profile hosts such as Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert, both known for their outspoken criticism of President Donald Trump.
Vaughn has notably not appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! since 2015 and has never been a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, which is set to end in May.
The discussion began when Von suggested late-night shows have struggled because they tend to focus their humor on a narrow group.
Vaughn agreed, arguing that audiences have instead gravitated toward podcasts, where conversations often feel less filtered.
“If you look at what happened to the talk shows and why their ratings are low, it’s got only to do with the fact of what you just said, which is they all became the same show,” Vaughn said.
“And they all became so about their politics and who’s good and who’s bad,” he continued.
He added a blunt analogy to describe the experience.
“And it’s like, imagine sitting next to someone like that on a f–king plane. You’d be like, bro, how do I get out of this f–king seat?”
Beyond entertainment, Vaughn also touched on his own place in the industry. He has previously identified as a Libertarian and has maintained a friendly relationship with President Donald Trump.
When asked whether he has felt excluded in Hollywood due to his views, Vaughn acknowledged the tension.
“I always got along with people and try to be honest about who I am,” he said. “But yeah, there’s times you felt like it would’ve been easier. It’s almost like a career move.”
Still, Vaughn emphasized that his views don’t align neatly with one side.
“There’s s–t I don’t agree with at all, and then there’s s–t I don’t agree with at all,” he said, adding that “nobody wants to be told what to do.”
