Jay Leno’s late night reign began in the 1990s, a time when his favorite target still resided in the White House.
The Center for Media and Public Affairs at George Mason University evaluated more than 44,000 of Leno’s jokes since he began hosting “The Tonight Show” in 1992 and found the comedian ribbed Bill Clinton more than any other political figure.
According to the study, Leno told 4,607 jokes directed at Clinton — far more than the 3,239 jokes he told at the expense of George W. Bush.
The Monica Lewinsky scandal played a role in driving up Clinton’s joke count, with Leno telling 454 jokes about the former White House intern.
Al Gore has been the subject of 1,026 jokes, while Leno has taken aim at Barack Obama 1,011 times.
Leno will host “The Tonight Show” for the final time on Thursday. After initially trailing David Letterman in the ratings war, Leno moved past his rival and began his dominance following his much-hyped interview with Hugh Grant in 1995.
Here’s the full list from the study, via US News:
1. Bill Clinton 4607
2. George W. Bush 3239
3. Al Gore 1026
4. Barack Obama 1011
5. Hillary Clinton 939
6. Dick Cheney 673
7. Monica Lewinsky 454
8. Bob Dole 452
9. John McCain 426
10. Mitt Romney 361
11. John Kerry 357
12. George H.W. Bush 343
13. Newt Gingrich 328
14. Sarah Palin 300
15. Ross Perot 288
15. Arnold Schwarzenegger 288
17. Joe Biden 274
18. Dan Quayle 260
19. John Edwards 229
20. Osama Bin Laden 216
