I get it. It's hard to look it up and easy to remember what you prefer.
I did check, I was there for some of it, all of the late night hosts of the early 2000's made more than a few political jokes. The pop culture jokes were even more utilized.
Some even had segments featuring political topics entirely.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_David_Letterman_sketches
The list even mentions "Great Moments in Presidential Speeches".
About Jay Leno:
"For 18 years, Jay Leno spent several minutes every weeknight on “The Tonight Show” making jokes about politicians, be it Bill Clinton, George W. Bush or whoever was in the news that day. That doesn’t include all of the years he guest hosted for Johnny Carson before getting the gig full-time"
https://www.vindy.com/life/ticket/2024/09/leno-brings-the-jokes-leaves-politics-behind/
What version of history are you deriving this opinion from?
So you are basing this on vibes and not about the facts.
Enjoy your vibes.
They don't align with the reality of the things you're commenting on.