Legendary TV Host, David Letterman has made an appearance on many shows in the past 8 years, but not the one that he left and allowed Stephen Colbert to take over. His return is monumental for Late Night TV Show History and was met with a standing ovation and chants.
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About David Letterman
David Letterman is one of the most popular Late Night Talk Show hosts the world has ever seen. He is best known for his work as host of the Late Show with David Letterman for 33 years.
Initially, it was the show’s unique brand of humour that struck a chord with audiences. His dry wit, quirky personality and self deprecating humour was something that hadn’t been seen a lot before and it drew audiences in. He was a pioneer in recurring segments and his influence is evident in modern late night shows.
His work is also critically acclaimed, his work won him and the show a number of awards. In total Letterman’s shows have accumulated 12 Emmy awards in 20 years, also being included in the Television Hall of Fame in 2015.
The Transition from Letterman to Colbert
Letterman announced in 2014 that he would retire after 22 amazing seasons with the Late Show. The show’s hosting network, CBS, immediately started looking for a fitting replacement to keep the show going. In September of the same year, they announced that they had found someone worthy of the position.
Stephen Colbert would be taking over “The Late Show”. Colbert was a popular name amongst Late Night Talk Show Audiences having hosted the Colbert Report on Comedy Central for a decade. He was also popular with The Late Show’s audiences having been a popular guest on the show numerous times.
Colbert’s adaptation of the show has seen similar levels of success and popularity. His wit, satire and political comedy struck a chord with audiences just like his predecessor had. The transition was smooth and there was no major drop off in ratings or popularity.
In his time with the show, Colbert has won 4 Primetime Emmy Awards and really displayed to the world how good he really is. Through his show he has really shown an understanding for the power of Television, not shying away from discussions about serious subjects.
David Letterman’s return to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, as a guest
Letterman’s popularity saw him stride out to an audience that gave him a massively deserved standing ovation. The Ed Sullivan Theatre was drowned with chants of his name and jokingly, He asked Colbert to control his audience.
Letterman’s retirement from The Late Show has not meant that he has been outside of the public eye. His Netflix talk show, “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman,” has garnered immense popularity.
Despite being in the limelight, he had stayed away from returning as a guest in The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Fans were left puzzled by this, seeing that he continued his appearances in other Late Night Talk Shows.
Letterman never expressed any discontent with Colbert being chosen as his heir apparent but in subsequent interviews, he talked about how he wasn’t consulted in the decision. Additionally, he also talked about how the decision was taken incredibly quickly. Making fans think that there was tension between the pair.
The segment lasted about 20 minutes with the pair talking about a number of things. Colbert asked Letterman about if he missed being a Late Night Talk Show Host, in response he talked about how fun the entire experience was and how he enjoyed the chance to be able to correct a performance within 24 hours if he felt a show hadn’t been good enough.
Another special moment played out when he asked Colbert to temporarily switch positions. Colbert stepped out immediately and welcomed him to the seat that was once his.
