I don't think its us, I think its them. Eventually, they run out of material and start recycling. At some point, we- as the general laughable public- realized at some point that Robin Williams actually makes the same voices for everyone and that Chevy Chase isn't really funny, he just bugs his eyes.

but the heat is on.
I'm going to find someone that is universally still funny.

1983 was a good year. Rich and exciting. many wonderful things came out of it.

1. David Letterman
2. Conan O'brien (almost finished his second decade)
3. Adam Sandler, although very much in decline

A corollary to the rule is that some people are only funny in old age. Golden Girls (only the short one who probably isn't really naturally funny, but her role makes her funny) and George Costanza's dad in Seinfeld come to mind.

See, I thought of David Letterman actually (I wasn't sure if Conan had been a public figure long enough to fit the bill) and what i decided is that talk show hosts kind of cheat the rule. Most of their humor, I think, comes from other people. That might not matter though.
Is David Letterman our answer? If so, that just doesn't feel right!

Dave is pretty funny, but you're right. Talk show hosts inject humor by bringing in the people who are in their prime.

However, the exception is Conan. He is funny on his own. He doesn't need his guests to make him look funny.

Additionally, according to this wikipedia article Cone Bone has been funny since the late eighties which puts him right at two decades and still going strong.

My link didn't work for some reason:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conan_o%27brien

George Burns

'nuff said

James...you've just dated yourself...severely. Hey all you readers, raise your hand if you're under the age of 30 and you're familiar with George Burns' work?!?

I saw burns on the history channel once.

What ev's.

Burns is great, and he is a comedian who continued to be great for decade upon decade.