The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is about to go live… at least for fans lucky enough to live on the East Coast.
CBS has announced that the February 24 episode of The Late Show will be broadcast live and there is a very good reason for this change. Rather than pre-taping the episode earlier in the day as is usually the case, The Late Show will be going live at 11:35 p.m. ET so that Stephen Colbert can react to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address.
President Trump will be going live shortly after 9 p.m. ET via the annual address which is delivered early in the new year by the sitting president as part of a joint session of Congress. The speech is designed to give the sitting president the chance to address the nation and discuss a number of topics connected to the current state of the union such as the economy, progress on ongoing initiatives, achievements, and priorities for the administration.
As has been the case with past State of the Union addresses from President Trump, there is an element of unpredictability as to what to expect and what soundbites might occur. It’s a major moment for political commentators and it’s not at all surprising that Colbert will be going live once again to react to President Trump’s remarks.
The Late Show has been known to go live for big events and it's always a highlight. We don't know how many more live broadcasts the show might have as it enters its final stretch of episodes, so that makes us cherish this lie episode that much more.
Fans on the East Coast will get to watch Colbert’s commentary in real-time, but those on the West Coast will have to settle for a delayed broadcast instead. Rather than going live coast-to-coast, The Late Show will only be airing live for those on Eastern and Central time zones with CBS then airing a taped version of the episode for fans on the West Coast on Pacific and Mountain Time.
Given the nature of the TV landscape, it’s likely that some of Colbert’s live monologue will make its way online before the West Coast broadcast; however, it seems unlikely CBS will release any clips directly given that the episode is going live and will not be pre-taped.
The post-State of the Union episode of The Late Show is sure to be a must-see episode for fans, as we’re not expecting Colbert to hold back in his commentary. There is nothing like when Colbert has the opportunity to go live rather than having to wait a day to react to a major political event such as the State of the Union. East Coast fans won’t want to pass up on the opportunity to watch the episode live, though we’re sure the delayed broadcast will be just as enjoyable for those on the West Coast when the delayed broadcast airs for them.