It has been announced that The Late Show will end its more than 30-year run in May, to the dismay of fans. Ahead of that, here are some facts about the show.
It was the news that fans of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert had been dreading: the date that it all finally comes to an end. It has been confirmed that May 21, which will be the end of Stephen’s 11th season on the show, is the date for the final show to air.
The ending of the show is not without controversy. CBS, the network that made The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, had announced its cancelling last July, saying the decision was financial, especially as ratings were falling (as they are for late night TV in general) as was advertising revenue. However, there are thoughts that it was more to do with currying favour with the government to ensure that it would approve a merger between Skydance and Paramount – CBS is a subsidiary of the latter. Stephen has been a vocal critic of the Trump administration.
But how much do you know about The Late Show? Here are some fun facts you might not know.
The Late Show wasn’t CBS’ first late night chat show
The Late Show first started in 1993 with David Letterman as host. But it wasn’t CBS’ first attempt at a late-night chat show. Previously, CBS had run The Pat Sajak Show from 1989-90. However, both shows were soon cancelled, as neither could challenge the dominant show of the time, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson on NBC. But it was when Johnny Carson retired that was to lead to The Late Show.
The Late Show was born out of a dispute
When Johnny Carson decided to retire after more than 30 years hosting his show, there was competition to take over the spot. David Letterman, who hosted the show that followed The Tonight Show, wanted to move to the earlier time slot. However, Johnny’s usual stand-in host was Jay Leno, who also wanted the gig. Leno was chosen as the new host – at which point CBS pounced and offered David a huge rise in salary and his own talk show, which he took.
CBS spent millions on the theater it is shot in
Since the beginning of its run, The Late Show has been shot and filmed at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York. Ahead of the launch of the show, CBS bought the theater for $4 million, then spent millions more renovating it.
When Stephen Colbert took over the show in 2015 after David’s retirement, the theater was again renovated, including the uncovering of an ornate domed ceiling, which had previously been hidden, and the restoration of stained glass windows.
Colbert’s first guest was a first guest for others too
On Colbert’s first show on September 8, 2015, his first guest was George Clooney. While Clooney is a guaranteed ratings winner, it was not the first time he had been an inaugural guest on a new show (or new presenter’s show). Back in 1996, he had been Rosie O’Donnell’s first guest, and he was also the first person welcomed onto Jimmy Kimmel Live! In 2003.
Colbert’s change of emphasis
While David’s era of The Late Show focused on entertainment, music and comedy, Stephen’s emphasis has been more on satire and political guests. Stephen was well known already for his satirical work, having appeared for many years on The Daily Show, then on his own show, The Colbert Report, where he played a character that was a spoof of conservative commentators. However, it did confuse some people as the character was also called Stephen Colbert. When he started presenting The Late Show, he did it as himself.
