30 people who can replace Stephen Colbert on The Late Show
By Buckie Wells
There’s no doubt that Stephen Colbert has been a staple of late night comedy. With his work on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show and his even more successful run on The Colbert Report, Colbert has carved out a really nice space for himself among late night talk shows and political commentators.
However, his transition from The Colbert Report to The Late Show has been less than smooth. He succeeded David Letterman, a man who held the position of host for more than twenty years on The Late Show, in 2015 and has yet to prove to fans or the network that he’s the perfect man for the job.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert might’ve debuted very strongly, but it has struggled to maintain decent ratings as of late, especially with the 18-49 crowd. Though Colbert is not the only one to blame. CBS has made some efforts to boost ratings, but there’s a much bigger picture to look at.
The late night landscape is changing rapidly and it takes a lot more than an infinite amount of wit to hold audiences, and because of the tumultuous nature of politics right now, viewers are looking for something a little different. Each of Colbert’s competitors has a specific segment they do that often goes viral, like James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke and Jimmy Kimmel’s Mean Tweets.
Of course, there are others out there besides Corden and Kimmel, but it goes without saying that Jimmy Fallon’s mega late night success is mostly due to his focus on lighter content filled with comedy and music. Additionally, Seth Meyers is in a similar position as Colbert, except that Meyers’ success is bolstered by his history with Saturday Night Live.
It’s quite possible that Stephen Colbert’s only fault is that his name isn’t James. His contract with CBS is a five-year deal but given the decreasing ratings during his tenure, CBS might be interested in looking at replacements.
In the event that they do, we’ve gone ahead and done enough research to compile a list of 30 Replacements for Stephen Colbert. It’s a fair mix of actors, former hosts and comedians of all shapes and sizes. And if at any point in time you think to yourself, “wow, look at all the women,” then remember that even David Letterman thought a woman should take his place.
Also, it’s an equal amount of men and women, so don’t worry about it.
Let’s get started.
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