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As 'Late Night' loses its band, we rank the best groups ever on late night TV
The 8G Band on February 24, 2014 — the very first episode of Late Night with Seth Meyers. Left to right: Eli Janney, Fred Armisen, Kim Thompson, Syd Butler and Seth Jabour.
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When producers at Late Night with Seth Meyers told keyboardist and associate musical director Eli Janney the show would eliminate its live backing group, The 8G Band, due to budget cuts, he wasn’t all that surprised.
“This was a moment, honestly, we all saw coming,” said Janney, who made his name as a bassist and keyboardist for the indie rock band Girls Against Boys – and as a producer with artists like James Blunt – before musical director Fred Armisen asked him to join Late Night’s backing group in 2014.
Janney says Armisen was looking to bring an indie rock band into the world of late night TV.
Along with Janney on keyboards and Armisen on guitar, they had Seth Jabour on guitar, Marnie Stern on guitar, Syd Butler on bass and Kimberly Thompson on drums. But when Armisen’s performing career took off, he wound up leaving Janney in charge – returning for short stints as a guest drummer several times a year.
“About six months into the show, [Armisen] was like, ‘Hey I have to go work on the next season of Portlandia, I should be back in about 30 days,” Janney said, laughing. “And then he just never came back [full time].”
Thompson and Stern eventually left the band, and 8G began playing with a succession of guest drummers, including Iron Maiden’s Nicko McBrain, Styx’s Todd Sucherman and Queens of the Stone Age’s Jon Theodore. Janney said they likely performed with over 300 drummers; Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters was on their schedule to appear when he died in 2022.
The group’s last appearance in a new episode is Thursday, with Armisen back playing drums for their final week. Ironically, Janney and Armisen were just nominated for an Emmy this year for best musical direction.
“I think we knew broadcast TV was shrinking in general…[and] there’s just a limit to how many people are watching after 12:30 [a.m.] at night on broadcast,” he added. “Everybody’s moving to streaming. But I thought we had a couple more years, at least.”
When I caught up with Janney on a Zoom call last week, he was philosophical and relatively upbeat, stressing that producers and star Seth Meyers had fought to keep the band. Instead, they’ll pre-record music that the show can use in future episodes.
Looking back on more late-night bands worth remembering
As a musician and late night TV nerd, I have an accompanying obsession with the bands who back the shows, and I’ve seen lots of them live. Late night bands often embody and amplify the tone of a show – Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show had a rollicking, old school big band, while Jimmy Fallon’s version has the urbane cool of rap/soul/funk stars The Roots.
Now that 8G joins the ranks of bands of the past, I’m reflecting on more late night bands that have – or will one day – go down in history. Here’s a list of the best.
#1: The World’s Most Dangerous Band/CBS Orchestra
Late Night with David Letterman (NBC) and The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS)
YouTube
This group was squarely in my generation – a band I was hooked on from their early days with Letterman on NBC in the mid 1980s, right up until his retirement on CBS in 2015. It began as a hip four piece packed with the best session musicians in New York, including drummer Steve Jordan (now with the Rolling Stones), bassist Will Lee and often-barefoot guitarist Hiram Bullock, led by keyboardist and Saturday Night Live alum Paul Shaffer. Their stripped-down, funky sound was a welcome change from Carson’s massive, more traditional jazz band. Over the years, the group evolved into a much larger unit with two guitar players and a horn section; P-Funk keyboard legend Bernie Worrell even played with them for a time. And the band was capable of everything from skin-tight backing of James Brown to including guest musicians like David Sanborn and trading quips with Letterman himself.
“I watched them all the time…and just felt like they were on another level from what I was doing,” Janney said. “Also, they seemed to be having the best f—ing time. It wasn’t uptight at all.”
#2: The NBC Orchestra
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (NBC)
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So many of the traditions we associate with late night TV and music started with Carson’s big band, from a flashy, signature theme song to a group packed with ace musicians – like jazz trumpeters Clark Terry and Snooky Young. Trumpeter Carl “Doc” Severinsen led the group, wearing flashy clothes and bantering with Carson while occasionally leading bits like “Stump the Band,” where audience members tried to name songs they couldn’t play.
#3: The Roots
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon (NBC)
YouTube
It may have seemed odd to some for a rap band from Philadelphia to join Late Night when SNL alum Fallon took over the show from Conan O’Brien in 2009. But it made perfect sense to me – bringing a modern, genre-blending attitude to the show while featuring one of the best bands in any category. And their “Slow Jam the News” segments are still a classic. Still, NBC took a little while to agree: bandleader Questlove told me they were originally signed to a succession of 13-week contracts, in case the network decided to make a change quickly.
#4: Jon Batiste and Stay Human
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS)
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No shade to current Colbert bandleader/guitarist Louis Cato – an amazing multi-instrumentalist who I first saw playing drums with David Sanborn, George Duke and Marcus Miller years ago – but the first version of Colbert’s band led by piano prodigy Batiste was a breath of fresh, innovative air. The band, which Batiste had put together with classmates from Julliard well before they landed on Colbert‘s show, effortlessly moved from jazz and R&B to pop and even classical – with a cool way of playing while walking through the audience that recalled the Second Line marching bands from Batiste’s native New Orleans.
#5: David Sanborn and friends
Sunday Night/Night Music (NBC)
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Executive produced by SNL showrunner Lorne Michaels, this show was an offbeat experiment which aired for two seasons beginning in 1988, featuring the late jazz saxophonist Sanborn and co-host Jools Holland with a band of ace backing musicians, performing with a wide array of different artists in one show. Bassist Marcus Miller (Miles Davis/Luther Vandross) was the musical director, with guitarist Hiram Bullock, drummer Omar Hakim (Sting/David Bowie), keyboardist Philippe Saisse and many more. Sanborn loved to bring different types of musicians together, having jazzers Carla Bley and Steve Swallow perform with funk master Bootsy Collins. And the band’s rocking take on “See the Light” with Jeff Healey remains one of my favorite performances by the late guitar god.
Ariana Grande arrives at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif.
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The brightest stars in TV and film kicked off the 83rd annual Golden Globes tonight in Beverly Hills, Calif. with Ariana Grande, Noah Wyle, Teyana Taylor and George Clooney are just some the names who walked the red carpet. This year’s ceremony was hosted by comedian Nikki Glaser.
Here’s a glimpse of what some of the attendees are wearing tonight.
Michael B. Jordan
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Ryan Coogler and Zinzi Evans
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Jean Smart
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Teyana Taylor
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Jenna Ortega
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Owen Cooper
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Sara Wells and Noah Wyle
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Claire Danes
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Stellan Skarsgård and Megan Everett-Skarsgard
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Amy Poehler
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EJAE
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Amanda Anka and Jason Bateman
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Paul Mescal
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Adam Brody and Leighton Meester
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Laufey
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Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons
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Chris Olsen
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Lisa Ann Walter
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Macaulay Culkin and Brenda Song
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Jacob Elordi
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Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco
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Ryan Destiny
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Jennifer Garner
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Rose Byrne
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Kate Hudson
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Snoop Dogg
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Timothée Chalamet
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Miley Cyrus
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George Clooney and Amal Clooney
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Leonardo DiCaprio
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Michel Martin
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Steve Inskeep
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Leila Fadel
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A Martinez
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Ben Falcone and Melissa McCarthy
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Amanda Seyfried
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William Stanford Davis
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Tessa Thompson
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Kathy Bates
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Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell
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Skylar Diggins
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Monica Padman
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Adam Scott and Naomi Scott
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Jayme Lawson
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Maya Rudolph and Paul Thomas Anderson
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Emma Stone
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Natasha Lyonne and Clea DuVall
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Nischelle Turner
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Brett Goldstein
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Parker Posey
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Vince Gilligan
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Chloé Zhao
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Mark Ruffalo and Sunrise Coigney
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Hannah Einbinder
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Sheryl Lee Ralph
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Keegan-Michael Key and Elle Key
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Justin Sylvester
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Judd Apatow and Lesley Mann
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Keltie Knight
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Sarah Snook
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Glen Powell
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Piper Curda
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Justine Lupe
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Helen Hoehne
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Natasha Rothwell
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Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis
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Minnie Driver
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Orlando Bloom
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Hudson Williams
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Connor Storrie
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Erin Doherty
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Wanda Sykes
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Nikki Glaser
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Julia Roberts
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Emily Blunt
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Chris Perfetti
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Rhea Seehorn
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Dakota Fanning
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Queen Latifah
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2026 Golden Globes
Nikki Glaser Shouts Out Rob Reiner …
Dons ‘Spinal Tap’ Hat at Close of Show
Published
Rob Reiner wasn’t forgotten at this year’s Golden Globe awards … because host Nikki Glaser paid tribute to him just weeks after his murder.
Here’s the deal … during the sign-off for the awards show, Nikki came onstage wearing a black and white “Spinal Tap” hat — the band which serves as the subject of Reiner’s iconic 1984 mockumentary of the same name.
Worth noting … the Golden Globes do not typically air an in memoriam — so this was the only time Reiner was mentioned at the show.
As you know … Rob and his wife Michele Singer Reiner were found dead in their Los Angeles home last month. Their son Nick Reiner has been arrested for murder in connection to the case.
TMZ.com
Nick’s arraignment was scheduled for last week … but, his lawyer Alan Jackson dropped out of the case — leaving Nick with a public defender and new arraignment date set for late February.
Jackson told a gaggle of reporters outside the courthouse that Nick’s not guilty … but, he simply can’t defend him. He did not provide a reason for his withdrawal.
Our new documentary “TMZ Investigates The Reiner Murders: What Really Happened” dives into Rob and Michele’s grisly deaths … as well as Nick’s history of mental health issues and even how his weight gain set him on a dangerous path.
“TMZ Investigates The Reiner Murders: What Really Happened” is now streaming on Hulu.
On-air challenge
Today’s puzzle is called “Pet Theory.” Every answer is a familiar two-word phrase or name in which the first word start starts PE- and the second word starts T-. (Ex. What walkways at intersections carry –> PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC)
1. Chart that lists all the chemical elements
2. Place for a partridge in “The 12 Days of Christmas”
3. Male voyeur
4. What a coach gives a team during halftime in the locker room
5. Set of questions designed to reveal your traits
6. Something combatants sign to end a war
7. Someone who works with you one-on-one with physical exercises
8. Member of the Who
9. Incisors, canines, and premolars that grow in after you’re a baby
10. Nadia Comaneci was the first gymnast to score this at the Olympics
11. What holds the fuel in a British car
Last week’s challenge
Last week’s challenge was a numerical one from Ed Pegg Jr., who runs the website mathpuzzle.com. Take the nine digits — 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. You can group some of them and add arithmetic operations to get 2011 like this: 1 + 23 ÷ 4 x 5 x 67 – 8 + 9. If you do these operations in order from left to right, you get 2011. Well, 2011 was 15 years ago. Can you group some of the digits and add arithmetic symbols in a different way to make 2026? The digits from 1 to 9 need to stay in that order. I know of two different solutions, but you need to find only one of them.
Challenge answer
12 × 34 × 5 – 6 – 7 + 8 – 9 [or] 1 + 2 + 345 × 6 – 7 × 8 + 9
Winner
Daniel Abramson of Albuquerque, N.M.
This week’s challenge
This week’s challenge comes from listener Ward Hartenstein. Think of a well-known couple whose names are often said in the order of _____ & _____. Seven letters in the names in total. Combine those two names, change an E to an S, and rearrange the result to name another famous duo who are widely known as _____ & _____.
If you know the answer to the challenge, submit it below by Thursday, January 15 at 3 p.m. ET. Listeners whose answers are selected win a chance to play the on-air puzzle.
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