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.
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