Late-night talk shows are back, and Fallon is quiet about toxic reports in the workplace

• Evening talk shows are back after a five-month hiatus due to the writers’ strike.
• The Big Four talk show hosts tried to recap the biggest stories from the summer.
• Jimmy Fallon did not address the toxic workplace allegations on “The Tonight Show.”

Late at night he finally returned.

In May, the five major late-night talk shows hosted by Stephen Colbert, Jimmy FallonJimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver were among several productions that were shut down after the Writers Guild of America called a strike.

On Monday, Fallon, Colbert, Kimmel and Myers returned to the airwaves after a… The deal was reached Between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

Kimmel and Colbert kicked off their shows with a humorous cold opener to celebrate their respective returns.

On “The Late Show,” Colbert, wearing a fake beard and a captain’s hat, pretended he had been at sea most of the summer before Dolphin told him the strike was over and he needed to get back to work.

On “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” the eponymous comedian hired his guest that night, Arnold Schwarzenegger, to be his therapist in order to give him the courage to come back after so long.

Naturally, the “The Terminator” actor delivered his catchphrases: “I’ll be back” and “Get in the chopper.”

While the hosts all took time in their monologues to thank and praise the writing staff and crew, another common theme was their attempts to cover the biggest stories from the summer.

Topics covered included the viral story of a Delta plane returning to its home airport due to a diarrheal incident, dating rumors surrounding Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce, and a pop culture moment that made headlines. Barbenheimer.

“Just rumors that Tay Tay might be at last night’s game sent ticket prices up over 40%. Before, you couldn’t watch Taylor Swift. Now you can’t watch Taylor Swift watch something,” Colbert cracked, referring to Swift’s appearance at Sunday’s game against the New York Jets.

Colbert, Kimmel and Myers spent most of their recaps on political news, especially the numerous indictments of former President Donald Trump over the summer, his arrest in August, and quips about the trials he faces.

“Donald Trump got arrested four times while we were on strike,” Kimmel joked in his monologue. “Once for classified documents, once for election interference, once for January 6th, and once for shooting Tupac, apparently.” “.

Fallon’s return to screens was notable for omitting any mention of the workplace toxicity allegations that plagued “The Tonight Show” last month.

In a Rolling Stone investigation published in September, two current employees and 14 former employees alleged a toxic work environment over the years, saying bosses, including Fallon, belittled employees and bullied them to the point of tears.

In a statement to Insider, an NBC spokesperson said at the time: “We are extremely proud of The Tonight Show, and providing a respectful work environment is a top priority. As in any workplace, we have had employees raise issues; it has been investigated.” Necessary measures were taken when necessary. As always, we encourage employees who feel they have experienced or observed behavior that does not comply with our policies to report their concerns so we can address them accordingly.”

Rolling Stone reported That Fallon apologized to staff via a Zoom meeting on the evening of the report’s publication.

HBO’s John Oliver was the only late night host to return to his show on Sunday instead of Monday.

In his opening monologue for “Last Week Tonight,” Oliver criticized studio executives for allowing the writers’ strike to continue for so long.

“And while I’m glad they finally got a fair deal and so proud of what our union has accomplished, I’m also angry that it took the studios 148 days to come to a deal they could have offered on day one.” Oliver said, as reported guardian.

“But hopefully this will encourage others, from auto workers to Starbucks baristas to health care providers, whether they are in a union or want to, to find strength in each other,” he added.