Thread: Are talk show interviews ever staged?

And where's the fine line between a staged interview and a "rehearsed" one? How much interview rehearsal is normal on major talk shows e.g. the Daily Show or Leno? Does it vary depending on the interviewee?

A staged interview would be where everyone's lines are already laid out and the content is more at the hands of the producer's. They may skew a few truths and avoid unnecessary junk. A rehearsed interview would be where there is a sort of interview before the live interview so the host has a good idea of what they're dealing with before air time. The Daily Show: more "pre-meditated" than rehearsed. Leno: pretty straight up with some background info in advance.
Maury/ Springer: Usually set up and therefore "staged"

Hope i helped,
Camron

Part of an interviewer's skill is making an interview look completely spontaneous. However, most have specific talking points that have been agreed to in advance; plus, some have a pre-interview interview.