Hence breakfast

That's right! That's why the first meal of the day is called breakfast.

Except for those people who wake up and have a midnight snack.

Cutting out the snacking is probably also a major factor in the effectiveness of intermittent fasting, especially given that snack foods are often more processed, calorie-dense, and less nutritionally balanced than what we typically eat at meals.

I think a lot of people could lose significant weight by simply eating three meals a day at the usual times, but just cutting out snacking between meals entirely and changing nothing else. Just fasting between meals, if you will.

Good observation! Fasting in general is usually at minimum 8 hours, which is also around the time we sleep. There seems to be some evidence that the longer one fasts, the better the benefits. You would be surprised how many people in the US eat right up until they go to bed, and then eat breakfast right after waking up. So for some, extending the fast 2-5 hours is no small feat.

That is why people joke that it is fancy name for not eating breakfast.

Well I suppose not eating on purpose vs just being slob or not having time for it is kind of different.