Stephen Colbert: Hit or Miss?

By Dalton Martin

On April 3^rd, a shocking announcement was made to the “Late Show” world. David Letterman announced he was stepping down from his mantle and retiring “sometime next year.” Within mere moments of the unscripted announcement, the Twittersphere blew up with replacement ideas. Ellen Degeneres, Conan O’Brien, and even Neil Patrick Harris were frontrunners for Dave’s coveted spot, but only one man was given the gig; and his name is Stephen Colbert. Quite frankly, I hate the decision.

Do not get me wrong, I love Colbert and his Comedy Central show The Colbert Report, however, I question if the late-night spotlight is a good fit. He will essentially have to give up his ultra-conservative persona he dons for his titular show since any late night show tends to focus solely on the pop cultural aspects of the world with his usual brand of comedy (politics/world news) mainly left to an opening monologue. Also, his usual special guests were more genteel in nature; usually skipping over the Rebecca Blacks of the world in favor of the Ian McKellans and Patrick Stewarts, yet with the transition from Comedy Central to CBS he may very well lose the right to decide his guests.

I am sure Colbert will still be funny, albeit in a neutered state, and I am also sure this is a major milestone in his life and career, so I cannot help but be supportive of the one of the men who make it a must to watch Comedy Central almost daily. However, in traditional Colbert fashion, I will remain skeptical until proven otherwise.