America Has Never Needed A Craig Ferguson National Tour More Than It Does Right Now
- - America Has Never Needed A Craig Ferguson National Tour More Than It Does Right Now
Keegan KellyFebruary 10, 2026 at 1:30 AM
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Our country is fiercely divided. The friction between left and right is making more and more sparks. There were two “competing” Super Bowl halftime shows. America needs Craig Ferguson.
Later this year, in celebration of the United States of America’s 250th birthday, the former Late Late Show host will partner with CNN to launch a cross-country tour that will take the temperature of our great nation as we cross that quarter-millennium milestone. The Scottish-born and American-nationalized comedian titled the series American on Purpose, the same name as his 2009 memoir, which reminds us all of how lucky we are that he chose to take his talents stateside and teach us what America really means from an immigrant's perspective.
More than any other late-night host of his era, Ferguson spent his time on The Late Late Show pondering, discussing and debating the American identity that, since before 1776, has been defined by the choice to become an American.
As a nation of immigrants, we can have no better (nor funnier) voice speak on the state of our democracy than Ferguson's. Ten years after Ferguson left The Late Late Show, we need to ask him: Is it still a great day for America?
The official logline for the series American on Purpose reads, "Ferguson explores the identity of the country he now calls home after becoming a proud citizen in 2008, digging into its freedoms, contradictions, and cultural quirks. The journey takes him from monster truck rallies to Ellis Island and beyond, combining American history with his signature wit and playfulness to meet the moment of the nation’s 250th anniversary.”
“Craig has an extraordinary ability to ask serious questions without losing a sense of joy, perspective, or humanity,” CNN originals executive vice president of talent Amy Entelis said in a release for Deadline, “At a moment of reflection for the country, the series invites viewers to look inward through a voice that is insightful, generous, and profound.”
Ferguson himself added, “Any chance I get to remind my fellow Americans that we are still the best idea for a country anyone has ever had I’m going to take it." More than a decade removed from The Late Late Show and at 63 years of age, Ferguson assured his fans that, "My eagle is still bald and my banner is still spangled with stars.”
While the world of late-night would grow increasingly political – or, in some cases, aggressively, blandly apolitical – immediately following Ferguson's departure from The Late Late Show, Ferguson was an anomaly in his time for how he never shied away from asking the audience hard questions about how they viewed themselves as Americans, yet he never alienated those who weren't used to critically considering their place in the world.
To Ferguson, patriotism isn't about chanting “USA!” the loudest or waving the biggest flag. To him, being a good American means wanting America itself to be good and demanding that it live up to the promise it makes to each new citizen, either born or adopted.
Right now, with the very definition of “American” under politicized debate, we need an immigrant to cut through the ignorance, the jingoism and the fear-mongering and to tell us where we all stand in relation to the founding principles of our democracy.
Plus, with the rise of artificial intelligence and the economic impact of automation on everyone's minds, it wouldn't hurt to hear from Geoff Peterson:
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
