Published: February 5, 2026
By Jim Lichtman

From the man who invented The Tonight Show.
What Steve Allen understood—long before humor became sharper and more performative—is that laughter can be light and still leave a mark. His humor was humane and light, an invitation, not an attack. In a moment when so much public conversation feels joyless, this feels less like nostalgia and more like a reminder that laughter can still be generous, and sanity can still be funny.
Go ahead, try not to smile or laugh, I dare you.
Comments
Recent Commentaries

Separating Fact from Rhetoric
March 12, 2026

Lindsay Vonn’s Gold Medal Moment
March 12, 2026

Teaching an Algorithm Right from Wrong
March 9, 2026

Now, More Than Ever
March 6, 2026

Peace Is Not an Elective
March 2, 2026

Revelations
February 26, 2026

The Story of Chips, and The Cost of Looking Away
February 23, 2026

It’s Time to Talk About Respect
February 18, 2026

Adversity and Perseverance
February 16, 2026

Who Decides What’s Seen?
February 12, 2026
Read More Articles
The Latest... And Sometimes Greatest
The Death of Shame
Over the past several months, I’ve written commentaries revisiting moments in our history when individuals confronted serious challenges and rose to meet them — to...
February 9, 2026
Because We Need It
From the man who invented The Tonight Show. What Steve Allen understood—long before humor became sharper and more performative—is that laughter can be light and...
February 5, 2026
Why George Marshall Still Matters
There are moments in history when power reveals its true character. During World War II, no American general was more central to victory than George...
February 2, 2026
The Most Sacred Thing
We toss the word “sacred” around as if it were a mood, something reserved for private faith. But in public life, “sacred” has a harder...
January 29, 2026
THIS Cannot Be Ignored
New information has now confirmed what many feared from the start: Alex Pretti was disarmed before he was shot—multiple times—by federal agents in Minneapolis. Whatever...
January 25, 2026
Year One
Not long ago, I stopped watching the national news. I told myself I was stepping away from the noise and the churn for some peace...
January 20, 2026


