Stephen Colbert to Replace David Letterman on “Late Show”

And he says he won’t be in character
Media • Views: 13,084

The replacement for David Letterman has been announced, and it’s a big blow to hashtag activists all over the Internets: Stephen Colbert to Replace David Letterman on “Late Show”.

CBS didn’t waste too much time finding a new host for the “Late Show.” Exactly a week after David Letterman announced his plans to retire, his successor has been named.

Stephen Colbert, the host, writer and executive producer of “The Colbert Report,” will replace Letterman in 2015.

“Stephen Colbert is one of the most inventive and respected forces on television,” CBS Chairman and CEO Les Moonves said in a statement Thursday. “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.”

The 49-year-old Colbert, who signed a five-year deal, said in a statement: “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.”

Right wingers on Twitter are also experiencing paroxysms of rage, but then, that’s a pretty common thing.

Suddenly, wingnuts all over America are concerned about racist humor. Strange, they never seemed to care before.

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70 comments
1 William Barnett-Lewis  Apr 10, 2014 10:21:55am

Well, at least Colbert is occasionally funny. That alone will be a step up.

2 Mattand  Apr 10, 2014 10:22:32am

They ought to go back and review Letterman’s past comments about Republicans. They’re not exactly complimentary

3 NJDhockeyfan  Apr 10, 2014 10:24:46am

Yawn… I never watch Letterman or any of the other late night shows. I hope he does well but I’d rather watch Sportscenter.

4 HappyWarrior  Apr 10, 2014 10:25:52am

I think he’ll do well. Most people only know him in the “Colbert” character but he was solid on the Daily Show which led to him getting the Report in the first place and also Strangers With Candy.

5 Dark_Falcon  Apr 10, 2014 10:27:42am

I remember when Iowahawk was funny. That tweet was just pure Bad Craziness.

6 lawhawk  Apr 10, 2014 10:29:26am

I wish Colbert luck, though it’s not like Colbert was fending off Jay Leno for the job as Letterman did way back in the day (or where Leno and Letterman were actively seeking Carson’s chair when he retired).

It’s not a particularly surprising choice or one that suggests that CBS was looking to break the mold of middle aged white guys being the predominant choice for hosting the late night talk shows. Arsenio is the odd man out in that regard. Feels like Colbert was the safe choice (and keeps the show in NYC).

I’d take Graham Norton over pretty much any of the talk shows though (and yes, I know it’s a slightly different format). Conan does come close in sensibility to my own though…

7 Jay in Oregon  Apr 10, 2014 10:30:23am

I’d love to go through the past five years’ worth of “funny” emails and Facebook posts to find the ones depicting Obama:

* as a monkey
* as a witch doctor
* as a gangster or thug
* eating watermelon or friend chicken
* calling Michelle his “baby momma”

But there’s only so much time in the day, so…

8 HappyWarrior  Apr 10, 2014 10:32:04am

re: #7 Jay in Oregon

I’d love to go through the past five years’ worth of “funny” emails and Facebook posts to find the ones depicting Obama:

* as a monkey
* as a witch doctor
* as a gangster or thug
* eating watermelon or friend chicken
* calling Michelle his “baby momma”

But there’s only so much time in the day, so…

[Embedded image]

“Wookie”, calling Michelle “uppity” but Colbert’s the racist one because ignore the right wing elephant ass in the room.

9 Pie-onist Overlord  Apr 10, 2014 10:34:27am

Todd Starnes, creator of fake outrage stories, has a disappoint that Obama didn’t use that possibly fake LBJ n-word quote that the wingnuts love so much.

10 Lidane  Apr 10, 2014 10:34:54am

Meanwhile, the RWNJs are actively trying to steal material from Colbert and every other comedian:

Oh, no. I totally disagree. Vegas is the perfect place for the RNC in 2016.

11 NJDhockeyfan  Apr 10, 2014 10:35:05am

Free enterprise strikes again! I wonder how much I can fetch with Tennessee country air?

12 Lidane  Apr 10, 2014 10:36:32am

re: #11 NJDhockeyfan

Free enterprise strikes again! I wonder how much I can fetch with Tennessee country air?

Slap a Confederate flag on it and say it smells like FREEDOM! and you could make a decent profit selling to the RWNJs.

13 TedStriker  Apr 10, 2014 10:36:59am

re: #11 NJDhockeyfan

Free enterprise strikes again! I wonder how much I can fetch with Tennessee country air?

[Embedded content]

That reminds me too much of Spaceballs:

Youtube Video

14 Timothy Watson  Apr 10, 2014 10:37:39am

re: #8 HappyWarrior

“Wookie”, calling Michelle “uppity” but Colbert’s the racist one because ignore the right wing elephant ass in the room.

Damn mouth-breathers don’t even know how to spell “Wookiee” properly?

15 NJDhockeyfan  Apr 10, 2014 10:38:04am

re: #12 Lidane

Slap a Confederate flag on it and say it smells like FREEDOM! and you could make a decent profit.

Sorry, Freedom has been banned in China until further notice.

16 Skip Intro  Apr 10, 2014 10:38:07am

re: #10 Lidane

Meanwhile, the RWNJs are actively trying to steal material from Colbert and every other comedian:

[Embedded content]

Oh, no. I totally disagree. Vegas is the perfect place for the RNC in 2016.

The RR must have really been upset when the potential candidates all went to LV to kiss Sheldon Adelson’s ass. Funny I never saw anything about that.

17 Pie-onist Overlord  Apr 10, 2014 10:39:46am

re: #8 HappyWarrior

“Wookie”, calling Michelle “uppity” but Colbert’s the racist one because ignore the right wing elephant ass in the room.

Wingnuts’ favorite name for Michelle is “Moochelle” as they complain that she gets to ride on Air Force One and get Secret Service protection like she was FLOTUS or something.

18 Bulworth  Apr 10, 2014 10:42:49am

I’ve noticed that Obama is being rather selective in his LBJ quotes.
— toddstarnes (
@toddstarnes
)
April 10, 2014

Yeah, why isn’t Obama quoting every single word LBJ said about everything? What. is. he. hiding?

//

19 Justanotherhuman  Apr 10, 2014 10:42:56am

Late night might get inventive again, but I can’t stay up that late to watch. : )

20 NJDhockeyfan  Apr 10, 2014 10:44:27am

If a jar of fresh air will sell in China, certainly they are ready to buy these…

Pet Rocks

21 Lidane  Apr 10, 2014 10:44:38am

re: #15 NJDhockeyfan

Sorry, Freedom has been banned in China until further notice.

Bah. Who needs China for this? All you need is a truckload of empty Mason jars, some Confederate flag stickers, some camo ribbons and a label maker with a Comic Sans font.

I’m sure Jim Rob over at Free Republic would sell a few in his next griftathon. Heh.

22 EPR-radar  Apr 10, 2014 10:45:04am

re: #16 Skip Intro

The RR must have really been upset when the potential candidates all went to LV to kiss Sheldon Adelson’s ass. Funny I never saw anything about that.

There was some amusing angst about the possibility of GOP 2016 being in LasVegas on RedState the other day.

The concern seemed more focused on the inevitability of misbehaving attendees than on Adelson’s attempt to buy influence in the GOP.

23 Sophist, D.D., DDS, DFH  Apr 10, 2014 10:45:14am
Skit idea for the new Colbert Late Show: burn crosses in black people’s yards - ironically! It’s funny because Republicans, and stuff.

Colbert could probably pull it off without being racially insensitive. Of course, clueless conservative racists would be the butt of the joke, and that’s even worse.

24 TedStriker  Apr 10, 2014 10:45:20am

re: #17 Pie-onist Overlord

Wingnuts’ favorite name for Michelle is “Moochelle” as they complain that she gets to ride on Air Force One and get Secret Service protection like she was FLOTUS or something.

What nerve!!!

///

25 lawhawk  Apr 10, 2014 10:45:25am

Comedy genius right here:

GOPers, on the other hand, can ignore it, revise it, and otherwise treat it as toilet paper to suit their needs.

26 Pie-onist Overlord  Apr 10, 2014 10:45:27am

re: #18 Bulworth

I’ve noticed that Obama is being rather selective in his LBJ quotes.
— toddstarnes (
@toddstarnes
)
April 10, 2014

Yeah, why isn’t Obama quoting every single word LBJ said about everything? What. is. he. hiding?

//

The wingnuts very favorite LBJ “quote” they are always retweeting is, “I’ll have those [N-word]s voting Democratic for the next 200 years!”

This alleged quote has been traced to a gossip “Inside the White House” book published in 1993, written by a Republican.

Apparently according to RWNJ logic, this cancels out the entire Civil Rights Act.

27 Lidane  Apr 10, 2014 10:45:33am

re: #20 NJDhockeyfan

Pet Rocks

Haha. I still have my Pet Rock from when I was a kid. It’s at my mom’s house somewhere.

28 Sophist, D.D., DDS, DFH  Apr 10, 2014 10:46:32am

re: #24 TedStriker

What nerve!!!

///

Some people just have airs above their station.

29 makeitstop  Apr 10, 2014 10:46:49am

re: #20 NJDhockeyfan

If a jar of fresh air will sell in China, certainly they are ready to buy these…

Pet Rocks

You could use it to open the jar of fresh air!

30 makeitstop  Apr 10, 2014 10:48:13am

re: #22 EPR-radar

There was some amusing angst about the possibility of GOP 2016 being in LasVegas on RedState the other day.

The concern seemed more focused on the inevitability of misbehaving attendees than on Adelson’s attempt to buy influence in the GOP.

The bookies would have a field day with the over-under of a prominent GOP leader getting caught with a hooker.

31 Justanotherhuman  Apr 10, 2014 10:48:29am

Report: Executive with direct knowledge of deal says no serious negotiations with Stephen Colbert took place until David Letterman told CBS he wanted to retire - @brianstelter
see original on twitter.com

Letterman, who will be 68 on Sat, must be planning to spend more time with his 10 yr old son. He certainly doesn’t need the money, not with his main residence being a 108 acre estate in NY state and a ranch in Montana.

32 HappyWarrior  Apr 10, 2014 10:48:44am

How dare Obama praise LBJ. It’s like Obama wants to respect a past former president or something!

33 NJDhockeyfan  Apr 10, 2014 10:50:07am

re: #21 Lidane

Bah. Who needs China for this? All you need is a truckload of empty Mason jars, some Confederate flag stickers, some camo ribbons and a label maker with a Comic Sans font.

I’m sure Jim Rob over at Free Republic would sell a few in his next griftathon. Heh.

Why stop there, aim for the hippies too. Put a sticker on the jar with the words GREEN, ECO-FRIENDLY, and ORGANIC. You can’t lose!

34 Charles Johnson  Apr 10, 2014 10:51:51am
35 NJDhockeyfan  Apr 10, 2014 10:51:55am

re: #27 Lidane

Haha. I still have my Pet Rock from when I was a kid. It’s at my mom’s house somewhere.

It should be considered an antique by now. Post it on eBay!

36 Lidane  Apr 10, 2014 10:53:51am

re: #33 NJDhockeyfan

Why stop there, aim for the hippies too. Put a sticker on the jar with the words GREEN, ECO-FRIENDLY, and ORGANIC. You can’t lose!

You forgot NON-GMO and HOMEOPATHIC. ;)

37 jaunte  Apr 10, 2014 10:56:20am
Suddenly, wingnuts all over America are concerned about racist humor. Strange, they never seemed to care before.

My ego will not be mocked!!!

38 Justanotherhuman  Apr 10, 2014 10:58:23am

Psychology?

39 Justanotherhuman  Apr 10, 2014 10:59:01am

re: #34 Charles Johnson

[Embedded content]

I thought he was going to Germany. Who changed his mind?

40 NJDhockeyfan  Apr 10, 2014 10:59:47am

Heh.

41 Sophist, D.D., DDS, DFH  Apr 10, 2014 11:00:06am

re: #33 NJDhockeyfan

Why stop there, aim for the hippies too. Put a sticker on the jar with the words GREEN, ECO-FRIENDLY, and ORGANIC. You can’t lose!

“GLUTEN-FREE”.

42 NJDhockeyfan  Apr 10, 2014 11:02:04am

43 lawhawk  Apr 10, 2014 11:04:38am

re: #33 NJDhockeyfan

Why stop there, aim for the hippies too. Put a sticker on the jar with the words GREEN, ECO-FRIENDLY, and ORGANIC. You can’t lose!

Gluten free, Nut free, Kosher, Halal, and GMO-free.

44 jaunte  Apr 10, 2014 11:04:44am
45 NJDhockeyfan  Apr 10, 2014 11:05:52am

re: #41 Sophist, D.D., DDS, DFH

“GLUTEN-FREE”.

Order within the next 10 minutes and receive this blade of grass taken from a Grateful Dead concert complete with a certificate of authenticity.

46 Pie-onist Overlord  Apr 10, 2014 11:06:51am

re: #43 lawhawk

Gluten free, Nut free, Kosher, Halal, and GMO-free.

Vegan!

47 De Kolta Chair  Apr 10, 2014 11:08:01am

re: #26 Pie-onist Overlord

The wingnuts very favorite LBJ “quote” they are always retweeting is, “I’ll have those [N-word]s voting Democratic for the next 200 years!”

This alleged quote has been traced to a gossip “Inside the White House” book published in 1993, written by a Republican.

Apparently according to RWNJ logic, this cancels out the entire Civil Rights Act.

Reminds me of how the story of J. Edgar Hoover dressing in drag, which everyone now takes for granted as true, is based solely on a tidbit mentioned in a gossipy “memoir” penned by an alcoholic attention whore.

48 AntonSirius  Apr 10, 2014 11:09:52am

re: #9 Pie-onist Overlord

Todd Starnes, creator of fake outrage stories, has a disappoint that Obama didn’t use that possibly fake LBJ n-word quote that the wingnuts love so much.

[Embedded content]

49 NJDhockeyfan  Apr 10, 2014 11:09:53am

Limited addition collection special:

Quart size Tibetian Fresh Air for ONLY $2000. Save, buy 2 and get the second one at half price!

50 Lidane  Apr 10, 2014 11:12:45am

re: #41 Sophist, D.D., DDS, DFH

“GLUTEN-FREE”.

The only people who need to avoid gluten are celiacs and anyone with a gluten or wheat sensitivity. Anyone who does it to lose weight or because it’s trendy is an idiot.

51 Sionainn  Apr 10, 2014 11:19:20am

re: #10 Lidane

Meanwhile, the RWNJs are actively trying to steal material from Colbert and every other comedian:

Oh, no. I totally disagree. Vegas is the perfect place for the RNC in 2016.

We could use the money. What’s up with evangelical conservatives apparently having no self-control? The Mormons in Las Vegas don’t seem to have any problems.

52 klys  Apr 10, 2014 11:19:21am

Federal judge orders Indiana to recognize a terminally ill woman’s same-sex marriage from MA

The photo of the couple is beautiful and makes me sad to know that one will soon lose the other. I’m glad the court has stepped in to give them both the assurance that her death should not result in additional heartache that no legally married spouses should have to deal with.

53 prairiefire  Apr 10, 2014 11:20:13am

Yes! He’ll be great!

54 Sionainn  Apr 10, 2014 11:22:01am

re: #27 Lidane

Haha. I still have my Pet Rock from when I was a kid. It’s at my mom’s house somewhere.

You think. I’ll bet she threw it out years ago. ;-)

55 Backwoods_Sleuth  Apr 10, 2014 11:22:20am

Yep, Florida again:

Earlier this year, the Miami-Dade County Elections Department quietly implemented a policy to close the bathrooms at all polling facilities, according to disability rights lawyer Marc Dubin. Dubin said the policy change was in “direct response” to an inquiry to the Elections Department about whether they had assessed accessibility of polling place bathrooms to those with disabilities.
“I was expecting them to say either yes we have or yes we will,” Dubin said.
Instead, he received a written response announcing that the county would close all restrooms at polling places “to ensure that individuals with disabilities are not treated unfairly,” a January email stated.

56 Sophist, D.D., DDS, DFH  Apr 10, 2014 11:23:00am

re: #45 NJDhockeyfan

“It’s Fair-Trade and carbon neutral.”

57 Backwoods_Sleuth  Apr 10, 2014 11:24:30am
58 Lidane  Apr 10, 2014 11:25:23am

re: #54 Sionainn

You think. I’ll bet she threw it out years ago. ;-)

Nope. I know it’s there. My mom would be a hoarder if the rest of my family let her. She keeps everything. There are papers and files in her office that go back 40 years or more.

Thank god that my aunt and uncle are ruthless about getting rid of junk mail, newspapers, and anything that might accumulate.

59 NJDhockeyfan  Apr 10, 2014 11:26:25am
60 bratwurst  Apr 10, 2014 11:27:40am
61 ObserverArt  Apr 10, 2014 11:33:53am

re: #27 Lidane

Haha. I still have my Pet Rock from when I was a kid. It’s at my mom’s house somewhere.

Awww, your rock probably feels all abandoned and lonely. When was the last time it got a pet? Too long I’m afraid. Too long.

PETR (People for the Ethical Treatment of Rocks) will be coming after you…

62 Swift2991  Apr 10, 2014 11:38:35am

The fake LBJ quote is illustrative of the mind of the Republican Borg. LBJ was just thinking of “getting the votes” of the blacks for 200 years. As if he didn’t already know that he would lose the votes of Southern whites for a generation. Oh, wait, that’s a real quote.

The other thing is how it makes the votes of black Americans sound so irrational. It had been anything but. First, you know, they couldn’t vote. Then they could, in theory, and not surprisingly, they voted for Mr. Lincoln’s party. When it was possible to vote. One can only wonder how the South could have developed without Jim Crow, which was, among other things, one party rule through terrorism and legal oppression. After 100 years of that, it was the Democrats that changed that system, and Mr. Lincoln’s Party went in, big-time, for the same old game, modernized, in the South. And now we have the obscenity of men like DeMint near the nexus of power in the nominal “Republican” party. Black people have been fair and completely rational about who they vote for. Bet the Republicans could get lots of black votes— if they did anything for freedom anymore.

63 Justanotherhuman  Apr 10, 2014 11:39:45am

re: #55 Backwoods_Sleuth

Yep, Florida again:

[Embedded content]

Hey, if an astronaut could use adult diapers to drive from TX to FL, I could use one to stand in line to vote. : )

This might turn out to be a “thing”, esp in FL.

64 Ming  Apr 10, 2014 11:41:46am

re: #62 Swift2991

Andrew Sullivan has a beautiful takedown of DeMint today. He starts with DeMint’s Heritage Foundation, then broadens it to include today’s Republicans. There’s a gem of a quote (sarcastic, of course) from Jonathan Chait: “Everybody knows the slaves were freed by Ronald Reagan, and he did it by cutting taxes.”

In the piece from Chait, there’s a long quote from DeMint himself, and amazingly, it’s just about as crazy as Chait’s sarcastic response. Here’s DeMint, who presumably is trying to be serious:

“Well, the reason that the slaves were eventually freed was the Constitution, it was like the conscience of the American people. Unfortunately there were some court decisions like Dred Scott and others that defined some people as property, but the Constitution kept calling us back to “all men are created equal and we have inalienable rights” in the minds of God. But a lot of the move to free the slaves came from the people, it did not come from the federal government. It came from a growing movement among the people, particularly people of faith, that this was wrong. People like Wilberforce who persisted for years because of his faith and because of his love for people. So no liberal is going to win a debate that big government freed the slaves.”

65 RealityBasedSteve  Apr 10, 2014 11:44:09am

re: #49 NJDhockeyfan

Limited addition collection special:

Quart size Tibetian Fresh Air for ONLY $2000. Save, buy 2 and get the second one at half price!

If I buy a China and 2 Nepals, can I get a free Tibet?

RBS

66 ObserverArt  Apr 10, 2014 11:50:49am

re: #63 Justanotherhuman

Hey, if an astronaut could use adult diapers to drive from TX to FL, I could use one to stand in line to vote. : )

This might turn out to be a “thing”, esp in FL.

Freedom Depends!

Put them in a special Red, White and Blue box and sell ‘em outside polling places.

67 NJDhockeyfan  Apr 10, 2014 11:54:40am

re: #65 RealityBasedSteve

If I buy a China and 2 Nepals, can I get a free Tibet?

RBS

Half price but signed by a genuine monk!

68 EPR-radar  Apr 10, 2014 11:59:35am

re: #64 Ming

DeMint’s drivel there was hammered here yesterday on the front page.

And DeMint is being as serious as a heart attack. He stands revealed as a confederate apologist that can’t even bring himself to say the most basic truths about US slavery and the Civil War because it would get in the way of the lost cause agitprop the GOP relies on these days for votes.

69 AntonSirius  Apr 10, 2014 12:10:01pm

re: #66 ObserverArt

Freedom Depends!

Put them in a special Red, White and Blue box and sell ‘em outside polling places.

“Freedom depends on what?”

“It depends on YOU, the VOTER!”*

* - assuming you vote GOP. Otherwise, piss off.

70 Eventual Carrion  Apr 10, 2014 12:31:09pm

re: #55 Backwoods_Sleuth

Yep, Florida again:

[Embedded content]

Those vindictive little pricks know no shame.


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