Jordan Klepper Tackles Fake News in New Late-Night Talk Show

07.25.2017

Everyday it seems we're reading news stories about the investigation into President Donald Trump. What nobody's talking about though is how we should be impeaching Hillary Clinton.

It's that notion that shapes the perspective of 's new late night series The Opposition with Jordan Klepper. He'll be bringing his Daily Show with persona to his new late-night talk show premiering this fall.

The series, Klepper told reporters at the the Television Critics Association summer press tour in Los Angeles, will explore "the great normalization of bullshit in America" from the point of view of the "silent majority" that often receives news from alternative media sources such as Breitbart.

"Not only will it not be left, it won't be right, and it won't be anything in between," said Kent Alterman, president of Comedy Central. "It will be the voice of the new America-a voice that defines its own reality."

The idea stemmed from Klepper's experience going to Trump rallies, and talking with real people who became increasingly more embedded in conspiracy theories and fake news throughout the then candidate's campaign. At the beginning, "Obama being a secret Muslim was a belief held by very few, and by the end it was emblazoned on T-shirts and hats," he said.

Klepper will play a character of himself-the persona he's perfected on : a know-nothing with a giant blind spot that will be filled in by the alternative media. His character is inspired by conspiracy theorists such as Alex Jones, but he also plans to pull from different perspectives to seek some understanding of the current political climate.

"I do think there is half of America that's not reading the same sources the other half is," he said. "What we're hoping to do with this show is to look at these other sources, to look at these things that are feeding this point of view."

Klepper will surround himself with "citizen journalist foot soldiers." While he won't shy away from the field, the format will be him predominantly in the studio and correspondents bring him the stories of America.

Klepper sees the show as nationalist, highlighting and editorializing small stories that might not be flashy enough for mainstream media, but are undeniably a part of our American culture in 2017. He'll also feature guests.

"We will go to Kansas," he said, "and go to that school board meeting."