# Stephen Colbert will replace David Letterman **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 10, 2014, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-colbert-will-replace-david-letterman/685804 "2014-04-10T16:10:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2014, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-colbert-will-replace-david-letterman/685804/101 "2014-04-11T00:32:49Z")
> [@kstarnes](#): > > I’m a big fan of Colbert and I wonder if this means that he’ll have to abandon The Report? I guess it’s too much to expect that he’ll do both shows, is it even possible? He could, if the one show is live and the other recorded. It’s quite a workload, but I’m sure Jay the Intern can handle it! ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2014, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-colbert-will-replace-david-letterman/685804/102 "2014-04-11T00:34:06Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I’m with you. I used to religiously watch Conan’s show in the late 90s and early 2000s, but in my mid-20s I decided I really really did not like celebrity interviews. They turned me off to the point of not being able to watch Conan anymore, and not being able to get in to any of the other late night shows no matter how funny and well-done they are. There’s too many gaps of boring. I usually turn off _TDS_ for the last third, with the celeb interview, unless the celeb is a politician or political writer. ---
**Author:** ![Raskolnikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac8455/32.png) [@Raskolnikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raskolnikov)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2014, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-colbert-will-replace-david-letterman/685804/103 "2014-04-11T00:39:41Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Did Jay Leno do a traditional talk show before he guest-hosted The Tonight Show? What about Jimmy Fallon? Conan O’Brien? Stephen Colbert has a lot of experience, even if much of it was in character. No, Leno only was one of the guest hosts for Johnny Carson and then was named Permanent Guest Host for several years before taking over The Tonight Show. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2014, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-colbert-will-replace-david-letterman/685804/104 "2014-04-11T00:49:43Z")
Oooooh, myyyyyy! [The RWs](http://www.mediaite.com/online/limbaugh-blasts-colbert-pick-cbs-has-just-declared-war-on-the-heartland-of-america/) [do be](http://www.salon.com/2014/04/10/right_wing_pundit_ben_shapiro_says_colberts_act_is_vile_political_blackface/) [a- **seethin’!**](http://www.salon.com/2014/04/10/conservatives_on_twitter_are_very_unhappy_about_stephen_colberts_new_job/)😃 ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2014, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-colbert-will-replace-david-letterman/685804/105 "2014-04-11T02:04:12Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Oooooh, myyyyyy! [The RWs](http://www.mediaite.com/online/limbaugh-blasts-colbert-pick-cbs-has-just-declared-war-on-the-heartland-of-america/) [do be](http://www.salon.com/2014/04/10/right_wing_pundit_ben_shapiro_says_colberts_act_is_vile_political_blackface/) [a- **seethin’!**](http://www.salon.com/2014/04/10/conservatives_on_twitter_are_very_unhappy_about_stephen_colberts_new_job/)😃 [Ben Shapiro’s column](http://www.truthrevolt.org/commentary/stephen-colberts-vile-political-blackface) has to be seen to be disbelieved. Is it possible to be so repelled that I’m actually feeling embarrassed for these fools? This low is awesome even by their standards. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2014, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-colbert-will-replace-david-letterman/685804/106 "2014-04-11T02:04:31Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Oooooh, myyyyyy! [The RWs](http://www.mediaite.com/online/limbaugh-blasts-colbert-pick-cbs-has-just-declared-war-on-the-heartland-of-america/) [do be](http://www.salon.com/2014/04/10/right_wing_pundit_ben_shapiro_says_colberts_act_is_vile_political_blackface/) [a- **seethin’!**](http://www.salon.com/2014/04/10/conservatives_on_twitter_are_very_unhappy_about_stephen_colberts_new_job/)😃 Like what the fuck? Why is it such a big ass deal who hosts CBS’ late night show? Do the tightie righties think Colbert is going to legislate from Letterman’s old desk? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2014, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-colbert-will-replace-david-letterman/685804/107 "2014-04-11T02:15:05Z")
As a whole, are the late night shows extremely politically centered? I woulda thought they were slightly left already (part of the left-wing media). ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2014, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-colbert-will-replace-david-letterman/685804/108 "2014-04-11T02:30:44Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > [Ben Shapiro’s column](http://www.truthrevolt.org/commentary/stephen-colberts-vile-political-blackface) has to be seen to be disbelieved. > > Is it possible to be so repelled that I’m actually feeling embarrassed for these fools? This low is awesome even by their standards. I…had no idea anyone\* could\* think that, let alone did think that. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2014, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-colbert-will-replace-david-letterman/685804/109 "2014-04-11T02:44:24Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Bad choice. Bad decision. Worse than choosing Dennis Miller for MNF. **This will ruin Colbert (the character he created** is why we like to see him) and it will ruin _Late Night_. That’s my first impression, too, which is why I tend to view the hanky-twisting we’re seeing from Limbaugh and his asshole-cohort as little more than crocodile tears. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2014, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-colbert-will-replace-david-letterman/685804/110 "2014-04-11T02:53:51Z")
That said, I wonder if he’s going to call the program _Lae Nigh with Stephen Colbert_. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2014, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-colbert-will-replace-david-letterman/685804/111 "2014-04-11T03:28:09Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > [Ben Shapiro’s column](http://www.truthrevolt.org/commentary/stephen-colberts-vile-political-blackface) has to be seen to be disbelieved. Because pretending to be a conservative to make fun of them is just as bad as pretending to be a n\*\*\*\*r to make fun of _them._ ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2014, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-colbert-will-replace-david-letterman/685804/112 "2014-04-11T03:28:52Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Three quarters supposition, two quarters experience and one quarter of bad math. We were in the audience his first week and he talked a bit about the show and where it was going. Some of the things he said then, and the subjective experience of watching the parade of guests, strongly suggests that he does indeed have people foisted on him (for lack of a better word), but many of his political, scientific and literary are found/picked by his excellent staff—guests who do not normally make the rounds of such a high-profile show. That I agree with. I’m just saying it’s not his call alone. He certainly enjoys having Father Jim Martin on the show, for example. ---
**Author:** ![keeganst94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a6a055/32.png) [@keeganst94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keeganst94)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2014, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-colbert-will-replace-david-letterman/685804/113 "2014-04-11T03:39:08Z")
Is there any chance they could get Wyatt Cenac to do the 11:30 slot? I know he quit a while back but I have no idea what he’s doing. I think Cenac, Mandvi or Oliver could do a pretty good job with the 11:30 slot. As long as it’s not Samantha Bee. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2014, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-colbert-will-replace-david-letterman/685804/114 "2014-04-11T03:59:59Z")
Years ago I used to watch TDS & Colbert, then I got out of the habit and now I just watch the funnier bits online. I never watch the late night talk shows, so I don’t know if I’ll be seeing much of Colbert anymore, unless online snippets of his show get shared all over the internet. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2014, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-colbert-will-replace-david-letterman/685804/115 "2014-04-11T05:05:49Z")
> [@Sam\_Lowry](#): > > I love the Colbert Report, and am sad it will be ending, but I think Colbert could be great at the Late Show. He is obviously very smart and I think could think of a good way to do it. I wouldn’t be surprised if on his new show he admits his old conservative persona was a fake character, and now he can be real and true to who he really is, but it’s just a new persona fake in a different absurd way. Maybe someone who is either super fawning over the Hollywood people to an absurd degree to satirize that sort of thing, or someone who has a huge ego and feels above the Hollywood people. His character could still be stupid and ignorant like before. I don’t know what he’ll do, but I’m sure he’ll put his own spin on things in a way that will work. Exactly. [Watch this clip of Colbert reporting on the Emmys](http://thedailyshow.cc.com/videos/k0si2u/colbert---emmy-celebration?xrs=share_copy_email). ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2014, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-colbert-will-replace-david-letterman/685804/116 "2014-04-11T11:37:40Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Because pretending to be a conservative to make fun of them is just as bad as pretending to be a n\*\*\*\*r to make fun of _them._ That’s not what he is saying. I think his analogy is accurate. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2014, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-colbert-will-replace-david-letterman/685804/117 "2014-04-11T12:22:14Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > > [@Marley23](#): > > > > I’m sure Comedy Central owns the rights to Even Stevphen. > > It’s all Viacom though. It’s not. Viacom and CBS are separate companies. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2014, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-colbert-will-replace-david-letterman/685804/118 "2014-04-11T12:57:29Z")
> [@mr.jp](#): > > That’s not what he is saying. I think his analogy is accurate. I don’t think an analogy is necessary when Colbert is imitating a specific conservative commentator, and not altogether inaccurately. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2014, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-colbert-will-replace-david-letterman/685804/119 "2014-04-11T13:16:31Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > It’s not. Viacom and CBS are separate companies. The connection is through Sumner Redstone, who owns majorities of each company through his National Amusements, Inc. Technically, to be sure, each corporation has to behave with the appearance of independence since they were split about a decade ago but a lot of things are merely technically true. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2014, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-colbert-will-replace-david-letterman/685804/120 "2014-04-11T13:32:18Z")
> [@mr.jp](#): > > That’s not what he is saying. I think his analogy is accurate. Indeed. During the height of blackface as entertainment, black Americans lived in a literal state of terrorism, in which they could be murdered with impunity, often by entire gangs of murderers. They couldn’t get jobs in entertainment, and what jobs they could get were taken to further stereotype them. They were ghettoized by a coordinated effort among banks, real estate agents, and government officials. They voted at the risk of their own lives. Blackface as a form of entertainment further oppressed black people by treating them as public objects of scorn and derision. And that’s an excellent analogy to what’s happening to poor oppressed ghettoized murdered conservatives today. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-colbert-will-replace-david-letterman/685804.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-colbert-will-replace-david-letterman/685804.md?page=7)