YouTube Reimagines Late Night with Outside Tonight

For decades, late night has been defined by desks, studios and a familiar rhythm of monologues, interviews and musical guests. As traditional networks pull back from the genre, YouTube is moving the opposite direction with a new live weekly series, Outside Tonight, built from the ground up for online audiences.

The series represents the platform's most direct attempt yet to treat late night as a native digital format rather than a recycled TV export. Outside Tonight, hosted by Julian Shapiro-Barnum, will be produced without a traditional studio, unfolding in public parks, plazas and street corners.

That setup maximizes spontaneity and allows real-world interruptions to shape the program, a format that aligns with Shapiro-Barnum's work on Recess Therapy and Celebrity Substitute, both of which rely on unscripted reactions and genuine surprise.

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