Late-night television has always been more than jokes after the news. It has been a visible seat of cultural power, a place where the host decides who gets welcomed, who gets heard, and what kind of American life shows up on screen. That is why Della Reese’s place in The Tonight Show story matters. Reese is widely remembered as a barrier-breaking entertainer who moved across gospel, jazz, pop, television, film, and ministry with rare ease. One of her most meaningful televisio
