Stephen Colbert opened up about CBS’ decision to end The Late Show and hand his time slot to Byron Allen’s Comics Unleashed.
Ahead of the May 21 finale, Colbert told The Hollywood Reporter that he reached out to Allen the morning after learning the news.
“Hey, congrats. I heard you got the time. Good for you. Wouldn’t it be lovely if you could drop Mr. Carson a note?” he recalled writing, referencing Allen’s historic 1979 appearance on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.
Colbert has hosted The Late Show since 2015
He admitted he was blindsided when CBS announced last July that the program would sunset after 33 years, citing financial losses.
Still, he praised Allen as “fascinating” and emphasized that the change was “none of my business.”
Reflecting on his own run, Colbert said he’s curious about the future of late night and how it will affect peers like Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and Jimmy Fallon.
“I don’t know what it’s going to be, and I don’t know what I can do to help other than what I did the last 11 years,” he noted.
As he prepares to sign off, Colbert is clear about the legacy he wants to leave: “I want to be remembered as a comedy show. We harvest laughter for a living, and ultimately that’s the thing I want more than anything else. I just want to make the audience laugh.”
