CBS announced yesterday that Stephen Colbert will replace David Letterman when he retires in 2015. Bill Carter of The New York Times (read the article here) reports that Colbert told CBS Chairman Les Moonves that he had major interest in being the new host of "The Late Show" but he also wanted Mr. Letterman's blessing before accepting the position.
Mr. Moonves called Mr. Letterman personally and told him that CBS was thinking about asking Mr. Colbert to be his successor. Mr. Moonves said that Mr. Letterman had no issue with the decision and was very happy that they were considering Mr. Colbert.
After Mr. Colbert was declared as Mr. Letterman's successor, Mr. Letterman released a statement saying, “Stephen has always been a real friend to me. I’m very excited for him, and I’m flattered that CBS chose him. I also happen to know they wanted another guy with glasses.”
Mr. Colbert came to prominence as host of "The Colbert Report" on Comedy Central playing a comedic conservative character on his show. Mr. Colbert said that he will not play a character when he takes over "The Late Show" in 2015.
Mr. Colbert will exit his Comedy Central show at the end of this year. The final airdate for David Letterman as host of "The Late Show" is still being worked out.
This is a huge coup for CBS as they will have a host that can appeal to younger and older viewers. Mr. Colbert has great comedic skills and in this age of Internet and YouTube, his bits on "The Late Show" will be talked about for years to come.
It seems like Late-Night just got a little more competitive.
THE PROFESSOR
No comments:
Post a Comment