Stephen Colbert to Succeed David Letterman as ‘Late Show’ Host

When David Letterman announced last week that he was retiring from his Late Show in 2015, speculation of who was going to replace the late night host once the time comes. From Chelsea Handler to Conan O’Brien to Neil Patrick Harris, Hollywood’s biggest names were being thrown around. It’s official: Stephen Colbert will be succeeding Letterman as CBS’ Late Show host, CBS Corp. CEO Les Moonves and CBS Entertainment chairman Nina Tassler announced Thursday.

“Stephen Colbert is one of the most inventive and respected forces on television,”  Moonves said. “David Letterman’s legacy and accomplishments are an incredible source of pride for all of us here, and today’s announcement speaks to our commitment of upholding what he established for CBS in late night.”

Colbert himself has addressed the announcement, saying: “Simply being a guest on David Letterman’s show has been a highlight of my career. I never dreamed that I would follow in his footsteps, though everyone in late night follows Dave’s lead. I’m thrilled and grateful that CBS chose me. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go grind a gap in my front teeth.”

Some people are a bit concerned whether Colbert will do the show justice, as he is known mostly for his character on Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report. He is expected to shed the role for his new gig, but it is a question of who and what he really is like on the air, since he’s never really been “him.”

Letterman also released a statement later Thursday addressing the announcement of his successor, 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.”

Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images

 

Comments

Leave a Reply

Loading…

0