Late night shows are the new red carpet

Sketches, monologues, and interviews. When we talk about Late Night Shows, we are probably talking about a slice of American television history, from the 1960s with Johnny Carson to the recent times dominated by the two Jimmys, Kimmel, and Fallon. Whether it's promoting a movie, talking about a book, or simply exchanging some jokes with the current host, all celebrities dream of sitting on those couches while sipping coffee from a logoed cup that we have always thought was empty. When in the 1950s radio became television and many radio programs moved to TV, there was a need to take care of a visual aspect that had never been considered until then. What were once simple voices were now people who, as such, had to present themselves in the most respectable way possible in front of newborn television viewers. Even today, the uniform of the Late Night Show host remains unchanged: a waterproof suit jacket and tie, even in an era when «most of us can just wear chinos to work,» as Jacob Gallagher wrote in the WSJ.

«I don’t think anyone wants to turn on their TV and see a late-night host in athleisure,» said Jimmy Fallon's stylist, Brian Coats, referring to an unwritten rule that, if it applies to the host, certainly applies to the current guest, increasingly called upon to make the most of that stage of over 1.3 million viewers per episode. At a time when the classic red carpets of awards shows seem to have lost some of their charms and while the Oscars have been having a string of bad years, the appearance on a Late Night Show has taken on a new meaning, transforming those minutes of live television into a real runway. In fact, it is hard to forget the Schiaparelli outfit worn by Anya Taylor-Joy on Jimmy Fallon, as well as Dua Lipa dressed in Area Spring 2022, while more recently, K-Pop star Jimin appeared in front of former SNL host with a Dior suit.

As Hannah Oh and Michelle Lee wrote, the advance of social media and online shopping has drastically changed the way celebrities conceive their television outfits. If in the past, YouTube was the only means to voluntarily review what happened the night before in a Late Night Show, today, with the advent of TikTok and the randomness of its algorithm, the chances of turning a few minutes of an interview into a viral phenomenon have multiplied, increasing the possibilities that a garment becomes the object of desire of thousands of people overnight. «During a television segment that invites audiences to see the more accessible side of public figures, said celebrities can showcase their personal style through outfits that are artfully curated from a wide range of designer pieces,» write Oh and Lee in a truth that, while contradicting itself (spontaneity and artificiality don't go hand in hand), is the best summary of this change in guests' clothing. While events like the Met Gala represent the height of eccentricity in terms of looks and outfits, a celebrity interview on Jimmy Kimmel's show is the perfect middle ground between the informality of a conversation between friends and the formality of an appearance on a TV show followed by millions of people.