Why Justin Bieber is Suddenly Late Night Comedy’s Biggest Hit

In less than a week, Justin Bieber has delivered a Top 10 list on the Late Show with David Letterman, swapped places with Jon Stewart on the Daily Show and appeared in two skits on Saturday Night Live. He’s promoting his new concert movie Never Say Never, but his roles in these skits don’t have much to do with that.

They’re also not exactly aimed at the singer’s legion of young fans, though obviously the shows welcome their attention when the bits get around online. Mainly, Bieber is being used as some something of a sight gag.

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To be clear, there’s nothing mean spirited about how SNL, Letterman or Stewart have used Bieber in their skits. The humor is not at his expense. If anything,  these comedians are celebrating the singer’s carefully cultivated image. Bieber is cute like a baby animal and unflappable like the coolest dude imaginable, and that combination makes him an ideal foil for neurotic comedians. Bieber’s digital short with SNL‘s Andy Samberg (watch below) pushes this dynamic to the extreme, with Samberg playing an obsessed roommate who is the exact opposite — hideous and high strung.

Photos: Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry and more from the 2010 American Music Awards

This could only just be the beginning of Bieber’s comedy onslaught: The singer is scheduled to appear on Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Conan and Lopez Tonight in the next two weeks.