Colbert Nation, we finally have a CBS premiere date for your leader… or, rather, for the man who used to portray him. Stephen Colbert, the real one, will make his debut on “Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on Tuesday, September 8.
That means nine months will have passed between the night Colbert’s fans said goodbye to the fictionalized version of himself on Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report“, and his start as CBS’s main late night show host.
CBS Chairman Nina Tassler announced the news Monday morning during the network’s executive session at the Television Critics Association’s Winter Press Tour. Tassler revealed that Colbert’s “Late Show” staff, consisting of many of the writers who worked with him on “The Colbert Report,” just moved into the new show’s offices and are beginning to work on its format right now.
“Stephen has said… it takes nine months to make a baby, so he said maybe we should learn how to make a baby, which is what he’s doing,” Tassler told critics.
She went on to share a few details of Colbert’s nascent plans, confirming that he’ll have music on the show and, of course, guests. His focus remains upon being as entertaining as the people sitting across from him in the chair, she said, and he’s still keeping the focus on topical discussions of current events. But he hasn’t decided whether he’s going to have an opening monologue.
“Clearly he knows that he is introducing himself, the real Stephen Colbert, to his audience, and he’s really putting a lot of attention on making sure that the show is still topical, is still relevant, still dealing with current events. That’s really all he’s said so far,” Tassler told critics.
David Letterman, an entertainment industry icon who has hosted “Late Show with David Letterman” for 22 years, will make his final appearance on the program on May 22.
In contrast, James Corden‘s takeover The Late Late Show with James Corden begins much sooner, on Monday, March 23. The British star, who is part of the ensemble cast for Into the Woods, appears to have a much more casual attitude toward the impending launch of his late night show.
“We’ve been working on the show for exactly four days,” Corden deadpanned, jokingly asking for suggestions, “because we have almost no ideas.”
“We could prep for the show for a year, but it’s only in the doing of it that’s going to tell us what the show is,” Corden added. “…We want to make a warm show, a show that never feels spiky.”