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3 Questions for John Wing (The Tonight Show, America’s Got Talent, Just For Laughs)

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I think it’s safe to say my first large scale comedy show I ever put on was bringing John Wing to town. Two sold out shows back to back in a market that hadn’t really seen that kind of comedy talent in a long time. John had just finished up a stint on America’s Got Talent and I remember thinking “holy heck, he’s actually coming here…”

“I’m not a BARBARIAN, you know!”
– John Wing

Since then I have remained somewhat buds with John and have followed his journey over the last several years. John has performed on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno six times, performed several Just for Laughs and countless other festivals, clubs, cruise ships and more. John is an accomplished author spanning several books and most recently launched his “The Bad Piano Player” podcast.

I caught up with John and gave him the “3 QUESTIONS FOR” treatment.

1) As a Comic who’s normally on tour a huge percentage of the time, what activity if any have you taken up or rekindled to keep the mind occupied?

I started playing the piano three or four hours a day, and planning podcasts. That’s totally what kept me sane. Writing the episodes as well.

2) What’s your favourite memory of being on the Tonight Show?

My first Tonight show was in 1990. Jim McCawley, the guy who booked and wrangled the comics, was holding the curtain, ready to pull it back when I was introduced. We were coming back from commercial. As we did, a couple of seconds before Jay started my intro, McCawley turned to me and said, “Hey, don’t forget your jokes.” I had my set typed out in my suit jacket pocket and I whipped it out for a final scan. Jesus, what an A-hole.

3) Ketchup or no ketchup on your Mac n’ Cheese? Or no Mac n’ Cheese at all?

No Ketchup on anything. I occasionally dip fries in Ketchup one by one, and I like cocktail sauce with shrimp, which is a form of ketchup but never ON anything. I’m not a BARBARIAN, you know!

Check out John’s podcast and enjoy a little you time with your headphones on or cozied up by the fireplace with the bluetooth. The Bad Piano Player Podcast is available on PodTail, Buzzsprout, Apple podcasts and basically anywhere you get your podcast fix. OR JUST CLICK HERE!

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Jesse was born in the city of Lethbridge and raised to his teen years in the southern Alberta farming communities of Raymond and Fin Castle, AB. Jesse's early inspirations include the hypnotic sounds of big-name artists such as Jimi Hendrix, The Black Crowes, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, City and Colour, Jack Johnson, Guns 'N' Roses, and Pink Floyd. Jesse is a Blues/Rock/folk/Indie performer who has done his fair share of "paying his dues" opening and touring with such acts as: The Lazys, One Bad Son, Doc Walker, The Odds, The Northern Pikes, The Grapes Of Wrath, Monster Truck, The Age Of Electric, The Wild, Holly McNarland, Econoline Crush, Coal Creek Boys, Wild T & The Spirit, Cara Luft, Carson Cole, Clayton Bellamy (of The Road Hammers), Tupelo Honey, Retrograde, The Smalls, and Mcquaig to name just a few. In 2015 Jesse was awarded the title "Master of Blues Folk Rock" for the 6th Annual Black American Music Awards. Jesse is known for his funky heavy jam style guitar. Big riffs, an impressive vocal sound all his own and the ability to captivate the crowd with ease. His fans have coined the term "no string solo" as he can be consistently found ripping strings off the guitar like they aren't supposed to be there in the first place.

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Study finds 99% of late-night TV guests in 2025 have been liberal

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A new study reveals that liberal guests overwhelmingly dominate late-night TV in 2025, with nearly every political figure or commentator featured leaning left. Just one guest this year was even remotely center-right, according to the analysis.

Key Details:

  • The Media Research Center reviewed guest lineups from five late-night comedy programs and found that 99% of political guests so far in 2025 were liberal, with zero elected Republicans featured.
  • The survey covered shows hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, and The Daily Show, all of which favored Democrat politicians, liberal journalists, and left-wing commentators.
  • Of the 77 non-elected guests tracked, only one—economist Oren Cass—represented a center-right viewpoint, making a single appearance to discuss Trump’s tariffs on The Daily Show.

Diving Deeper:

A recent report by the Media Research Center paints a stark picture of political bias across the late-night television landscape. The analysis, which surveyed the first half of 2025, found that liberal guests were nearly the only voices featured on major late-night comedy programs. According to the report, 99 percent of all political guests on shows like Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Late Night with Seth Meyers, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and The Daily Show leaned left.

When it came to sitting officeholders, the bias was even more glaring: 30 elected Democrats appeared on these shows, while not a single Republican lawmaker was invited. Some of the most featured repeat guests included far-left figures like Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), who each appeared multiple times.

Even among non-politicians, the ideological imbalance persisted. Out of 77 guests analyzed, just one—American Compass executive director Oren Cass—was identified as having a conservative or center-right viewpoint. His lone appearance on The Daily Show was centered on a policy issue: President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The MRC report also highlighted the recurring presence of left-wing media figures. Nine guests were MSNBC hosts, eight were from CNN, and six others were CNN reporters or analysts. MSNBC’s Chris Hayes was featured three separate times.

The findings are consistent with MRC’s prior research. Since 2022, they note, late-night comedy shows have hosted 511 liberal guests compared to just 14 center-right figures.

Critics argue this lopsided exposure skews public perception and reinforces ideological silos, especially among younger audiences who consume political content through entertainment. The report suggests that late-night programming, once a venue for varied political commentary and humor, now operates more like an echo chamber for the American left.

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

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Pedro Pascal launches attack on J.K. Rowling over biological sex views

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Pedro Pascal, star of HBO’s The Last of Us, ignited backlash this week after publicly hurling an expletive-laced insult at author J.K. Rowling in response to her support for a landmark UK ruling that upheld the legal definition of sex as biological. Rowling celebrated the decision, which affirms the rights of women to single-sex spaces—a view shared by many who advocate for the safety and integrity of women’s rights. Pascal, a vocal progressive and LGBTQ+ activist, labeled Rowling a “heinous loser,” aligning himself with calls to boycott HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter reboot.

Key Details:

  • Pedro Pascal responded on Instagram to Rowling’s post celebrating a UK court ruling that legally defined “sex” as biological.

  • Pascal echoed an activist’s call for a fan-led boycott of the Harry Potter reboot, saying Rowling’s stance was “heinous LOSER behavior.”

  • HBO has downplayed concerns of a boycott, citing the blockbuster success of Hogwarts Legacy despite similar activist campaigns.

Diving Deeper:

The latest clash in the culture war surrounding Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling and the trans activist movement reached a new level of hostility this week when actor Pedro Pascal, a key face of HBO’s entertainment slate, stooped to name-calling on social media. His remarks came in response to Rowling’s defense of the United Kingdom’s recent court decision, which reaffirmed that sex, under British law, means biological sex—a ruling many women’s rights advocates hailed as a long-overdue step toward protecting vulnerable female spaces such as shelters, hospital wards, and sports.

Rowling, whose views on the importance of distinguishing biological sex from gender identity have made her a target of trans activists for years, posted a pointed but unapologetic reaction: “I love it when a plan comes together.” She added, “I get the same royalties whether you read [my books] or burn them. Enjoy your marshmallows!”

In the comments of a post by activist Tariq Ra’ouf—who had attacked Rowling and promoted a boycott of HBO’s Harry Potter reboot—Pascal added his own vulgar commentary: “Awful disgusting SHIT is exactly right. Heinous LOSER behavior.” While Pascal did not explicitly mention Harry Potter, the post he endorsed included calls to tank all future franchise content, including theme parks and merchandise.

Pascal’s involvement with HBO places the network in a difficult position. As the Emmy-nominated co-lead of The Last of Us, one of HBO’s crown jewels, Pascal’s comments are being widely interpreted as an implicit endorsement of the boycott. While HBO has attempted to downplay the activist push, the tension is palpable. Casey Bloys, HBO’s chief content officer, previously noted that the 2023 video game Hogwarts Legacy, which also faced calls for boycotts due to Rowling’s views, still became the year’s top-selling game.

Pascal’s activism is personal as well as political. His sister, Lux Pascal, publicly transitioned in 2021, and he has frequently signaled support for trans activism. At the UK premiere of Marvel’s Thunderbolts, Pascal wore a shirt that read “Protect the Dolls,” a slogan popularized in trans activist circles.

Rather than “heinous,” Rowling’s remarks represent a reasoned defense of biological reality and a pushback against an increasingly aggressive ideology that demands conformity and punishes dissent. Her critics, like Pascal, resort to vulgarity and character attacks instead of engaging with the substance of her argument. But Rowling has stood firm in supporting women’s rights and advocating for clarity in laws that impact everything from sports to safety in single-sex spaces—positions grounded in truth, not hate.

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