Every late night show’s most watched YouTube video
By Matt Moore
Stephen’s selfie lesson
Upload date: Feb. 12, 2016
View count: 37.3 million
Anyone familiar with YouTube surfing knows the power of the thumbnail. The image used to advertise the video can be the deciding factor on whether or not it gets viewed.
So that strategy may be in play for this clip from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. From a Feb. 2016 episode, the video comes from Stephen Colbert’s interview with model and Instagram star Sarah McDaniel.
McDaniel was on The Late Show to promote her picture on the cover of an upcoming issue of Playboy magazine. Comedy fans can appreciate the quick-thinking Colbert first offering duct tape then reaching for a tissue to help McDaniel cover up and keep the CBS censors happy before any wardrobe malfunction could take place.
The second through fifth most popular clips on the Late Show YouTube channel are much more predictable for Colbert’s fans. They include bits with Bruce Willis, Will Ferrell, and Jon Stewart as well as interviews with former First Lady Michelle Obama and then presidential candidate Donald Trump.
The top five clips certainly show the diversity of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and what it brings to late night television. But in the end, it’s a Playboy model that takes the top spot.