I agree with Jay Leno's statement in his tribute to Johnny Carson, here.

As a comedian he taught me that it was okay to be known for doing political humor, but never making the mistake of thinking you're a political commentator. It's okay to satirize the society we live in, just don't start believing you're a social commentator.

I see an analogy with celebrities and opinions. I bristled when Tom was rude to Matt Lauer. I forget the exact words, but he essentially told Matt that he (Matt) didn't know what he was talking about, and implied that he (Tom) did!