Colbert’s ultimate Late Present episode additionally marked the top of the franchise launched by former host David Letterman in 1993. Letterman, who himself weighed in on the Late Present cancellation, calling it “pure cowardice” on CBS’ half, previously stopped by Colbert’s show as a guest in 2023 in his first time on The Late Present since he retired in 2015. Throughout their dialog, they in contrast notes on their respective experiences internet hosting the CBS late night time program. And Colbert recalled how he’d requested for Letterman’s recommendation, which led to the present host’s desk being on the opposite aspect of the stage, and made a particular request.
“I asked if there was a place to hide … from my producers,” Colbert mentioned. “You said, ‘Yes … it’s great because it’s close enough you can hear the producers calling for you, and they won’t know where you are.”
“They’ve never found me,” Colbert continued. “But the secret might be they’re not looking. They might not care if I show up.”
“My problem was I couldn’t hide from anybody, and it shortened my life” Letterman mentioned. “I don’t know about you but I couldn’t leave the building until it was dark — and really, really dark. I’d be so embarrassed.”
Letterman additionally marveled at how good the theater, which was renovated earlier than Colbert took over, had grow to be.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is television of the future,” Letterman mentioned. “I think it’s delightful. I was in the dressing room — and by the way, the dressing room is nicer than the nicest hotel I’ve ever stayed in in my life. I’ll be here through Christmas. … They have snacks in the dressing room — and a menu.”
“We’ve fixed it up a bit,” Colbert mentioned.
Letterman, who’s just lately lashed out at CBS execs, calling them “lying weasels,” for his or her resolution to cancel The Late Present, returned per week earlier than Colbert’s ultimate episode aired, the place the two threw some set furniture off of the roof and onto the CBS eye brand on the road under.
In the course of the interview phase, Letterman once more complimented Colbert’s revamp of the studio, likening it to “the Bellagio.”
“I will say, and I have every right to be pissed off, so I’ll pissed off here a little bit, because this theater, you folks wouldn’t be in this theater if it weren’t for me, and Stephen wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for me, and we rebuilt this theater, and then Stephen came in and look at this, it’s like the Bellagio,” Letterman mentioned. “As we all understand, you can take a man’s show, you can’t take a man’s voice, so that’s the good news in this.”
