Because We Need It

Published: February 5, 2026

By Jim Lichtman
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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.

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