Stephen Colbert Leaving Character Behind To Take Over David Letterman's Late-Night Spot

CBS CBS announced today that Stephen Colbert will succeed David Letterman when he steps down from his late night spot at the end of this year. Colbert is best known for The Colbert Report, his hit Comedy Central fake-news show where he impersonates a right-wing blowhard.

In a press release announcing the big news Colbert said:

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 .

[UPDATE] Colbert will be leaving his right-wing persona behind along with his Comedy Central show. As “Stephen Colbert,” the comedian made endless fun of the right while pretending to be an idiotic member of that group. It was tricky line to walk but one that Colbert did effortlessly. He even stayed in character when he interviewed his nightly guests.

It was a very different format from the normal late night show which is focused around a few bits, some high-profile guests and maybe a musical act. While Jimmy Fallon’s success at The Tonight Show is turning late night into a breeding ground for viral video hits, he still stays very close to the accepted format.

And Colbert’s Comedy Central show has been at once extremely silly and extremely cerebral. He’s not above jumping into a tub of balls with Charlie Rose to make fun of morning news’ new social media rooms but at the same time he delights in interviewing serious people like Emily Bazelon and historian Simon Schama. Most late night shows tend to go from silly bit to fawning celebrity interviews.

So will fans of “Colbert” flock to Colbert? There will at least be an initial curiosity factor. But the comedian will have to prove that he can be as amusing playing himself as he was playing a character.

The move will likely mean a pay bump for Colbert. Although he hasn’t made our Celebrity 100 list, we’ve been tracking Colbert’s income for the past few years. We estimate that he hasn’t earned over $10 million in any given year. Letterman, on the other hand, earned an estimate $42 million between June 2012 and June 2013. Colbert likely won’t earn that much to start. But the high-profile gig will likely come with some serious dollars attached.

Colbert bring a serious social media following to late night, much as Jimmy Kimmel did when he took over The Tonight Show. Letterman’s official show Twitter account has 286,000 followers. Colbert’s Twitter account has 6.2 million followers.

The feed from his news show had even more but he ended that account after a recent blowup over a tweet. The offending tweet: “I am willing to show #Asian community I care by introducing the Ching-Chong Ding-Dong Foundation for Sensitivity to Orientals or Whatever.” The tweet was a reference to a typically complicated Colbert bit where he was making fun a Redskins owner Daniel Snyder for his response to people who find the Redskins name offensive. But taken out of context, it seemed highly offensive. Colbert responded with a funny and nuanced show that highlighted the best of what Colbert has been allowed to do on Comedy Central.

It remains to be seen if CBS will allow Colbert to push the edge in the same way on late night. As a fan, I certainly hope so. I also hope that Stephen Colbert is half as funny as “Stephen Colbert.”

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