VIDEOS: 13 best late night segments of 2013
Every morning, the Internet rolls out of bed, rubs the crust of its eyes and immediately checks to see all of the hilarious crap that late night television had to offer after the hamsters were taken out of their wheels for the night.
Every morning, the Internet rolls out of bed, rubs the crust of its eyes and immediately checks to see all of the hilarious crap that late night television had to offer after the hamsters were taken out of their wheels for the night.
As Leno and Letterman fade into relative obscurity, guys like Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert and Conan O'Brien demonstrated their promenance with one-off segments, heartfelt tributes, elaborate trolling, and series of bits that had the Internet clamoring for more.
Narrowing the entire year down into 13 late night bits was arduous, subjective, and nearly impossible. So, we through some crap at the wall and these are the (mostly arbitrary) bits that stuck.
13. The Daily Show's Send-Off for John Oliver
A last-minute addition to this list, The Daily Show's send-off to longtime correspondent John Oliver was more than just an emotional goodbye. It served as an apt display of appreciation for a guy who filled in admirably in Jon Stewart's absence, this year, and kept CNN's feet to the fire while Stewart was off filming his feature. Oliver is set to host his own show on HBO, so look forward to that. But, for now, seek comfort in an appropriate tribute to a great late night personality.
12. Jimmy Fallon's Lip Sync Off
You shouldn't really need much of an explanation as to why this segment made the list, considering that it stars a well-dressed (is there any other version?) Joseph Gordon-Levitt mimicking Elton John and Stephan Merchant rapping Will Smith. There was also a great version of this segment starring John Krasinski because of course there was.
11. Justin Timberlake's Residency on Fallon
To mark the release of each installment of his 20/20 Experience, JT stopped by Fallon for all of the sing-songing and history of dance shenanigans you'd expect from the ultimate sketch comedy duo.
10. Colbert Saves a Wedding From the Government Shutdown
One couple's wedding was supposed to be held at a monument in D.C., but was canceled when the government shutdown furloughed employees and closed all such attractions. Luckily for them (and the rest of the viewing public), Stephen Colbert came to the rescue and saved their wedding from the government shutdown.
9. Jimmy Kimmel's "The Baby Bachelor"
Of all of 2013's wonderfully entertaining late night segments, this is by far the most adorable. It's a simple, yet elegant idea. Get a cute kid, dress him in a tux, and have him "date" a bunch of adorable little girls having a tea party while simultaneously mocking the ridiculousness of reality television. It's genius, really.
8. Everything Conan Did with Producer Jordan Schlansky
Conan's self-important, snobbish producer Jordan Slansky likes his espresso machines expensive and tends to roll into work extremely late. Usually, this type of co-worker might be irritating, but his stoic banter with the show's host is more than delightful all year long.
7. Bill Cosby on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon
Quite simply, Bill Cosby and his comic prowess have aged impressively. He's so effective at pulling off the "kind of coherent, kind of baffled" old guy routine and Fallon feeds off it. Cosby's interaction with Questlove and his interrogation of Fallon about Cosby's own book was refreshing. It compelled you to tune in to Cosby's Comedy Central special and reminded the world why Temple's own Dr. Cosby is one of the all-time greats.
6. Jimmy Fallon's Breaking Bad Parody With Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul
In the midst of the Breaking Bad craze, Jimmy Fallon wore a bald cap and sported a fake goatee to do his best impression of The Danger. Add Bryan Cranston throwing a pizza out of the audience and you've got yourself the best Breaking Bad parody to hit the Internet. And there quite a few contenders in the field.
5. Jimmy Kimmel's Lie Witness News
Is there anything more fulfilling than watching a pretentious fashion fanatic eat his own words while raving about an imaginary designer? Yes, because listening to hipsters leap praise onto made up bands outside Coachella was an absolute revelation. Never change, Jimmy Kimmel.
4. Jimmy Kimmel's Twerk Fail Hoax
In the fall of 2013, a young woman put her feet on the wall and shook dat a** while in a video selfie that turned disastrous when her roomate walked in. The girl twerking topples over, lands on some candles and catches fire. #TwerkFAIL was born and, in solidarity, proceeded to light the Internet on fire. Then Jimmy Kimmel revealed that the young woman was a stunt actor and that he was behind the hoax. Well played, sir. Well played, indeed.
3. Stephen Colbert's Tribute to His Mother
Over the summer, Stephen Colbert took a brief hiatus from his desk at The Report to be with his ailing mother. When she finally passed, he returned with this heartfelt tribute that will hit you right in the feels.
2. Jimmy Kimmel's Feud With Kanye West
Kanye West was nothing in 2013 if not insufferable. He broke the Internet on countless occassions, most notably when he began trolling the hell out of Jimmy Kimmel in response to a segment that the rapper took offense to. A Twitter feud followed and gave birth to an entire episode of JKL comprised of one single interview with Yeezus himself. At one point, Kimmel realizes it's best if he just shuts the hell up and let Kanye bury himself, which he obviously does.
Yeezus is an incredible rap album, though. #NeverForget
1. Stephen Colbert vs. Daft Punk
This past year was a bit of a coup for Stephen Colbert, as the late night host/faux Republican captured multiple awards, including an Emmy right out from under Jon Stewart and The Daily Show. But, no matter how impressive your year is shaping up to be, it takes a lot of moxie to call out the biggest musical act on the planet, snitch on your own company, call in the star of the greatest show on television (and convince him to rollerdance in hot pants), all in an effort to give the finger to The Man. But, that's exactly what Colbert did when he announced Daft Punk's scheduled surprise appearance at the VMAs and dedicated an entire episode to pointing out that they bailed on his show, but the show could go on without them. Stephen Colbert had a hell of a year and his epic trolling of MTV, Daft Punk, and Viacom was the icing on his proverbial cake.