Francis Emelogu // The Daily Cougar
I am a huge Stephen Colbert fan. Just a few weeks ago, I wrote an article defending his satirical show, “The Colbert Report,” in light of a hasty tweet that was made through his show’s Twitter account.
The hashtag #CancelColbert floated around Twitter, demanding the end to the eight-year nightly news show on the basis of a “racist” tweet.
Ironically, the people who backed this idea will get what they wanted. Just last week, Colbert was announced to take over “The Late Show with David Letterman.”
Although “The Late Show” was an innovative competitor against Jay Leno when it first premiered, it has become a source of awkward, aged humor. Letterman’s jokes are a lot like his show’s set: They appear not to have changed much since the show began in 1993.
I’ve been saying and hoping that Letterman would retire soon, so when he announced it last week, I was ecstatic. It was the same joy I felt with Leno’s retirement; I was excited to see what could be brought to the table that was new and innovative.
It’s not every day someone steps down from a gig that’s lasted more than 20 years, especially not one that was neck-and-neck with “The Tonight Show” for a very long time.
Somehow, in the midst of all of the talk about replacements, Colbert’s name came up multiple times. However, the idea seemed strange every single time. One would wonder why a man who has an incredible thing going for him would give it all up.
For the last nine years, “The Colbert Report” has crafted something absolutely magical, something many had never seen created so masterfully. It’s the perfect combination of humor and intelligence; it pushes the limits. It makes me think about what could be different about myself, my elected officials and even my next-door neighbor. Somehow, giving that up for something as blah as “The Late Show” seems ridiculous.
Colbert is just as much a part of “The Colbert Report” as the “Report” is part of him. He has become one with his satirical character, so much that it’d hard to know what he sounds like when he’s not pretending to be a crazy conservative news show host. This seems to be one of the biggest issues when it comes to Colbert’s “Late Show” takeover. If Colbert drops the act, there may not be much left of him.
When Colbert finally does take the reins in 2015, I am unsure whether his audience will accept him. The Comedy Central audience that does follow him to CBS will likely be disappointed, as they’ll miss the tongue-in-cheek humor and his lovable jerk attitude.
They’ll miss the edgy jokes that targeted conservatives, the ridiculous impromptu Daft Punk sequences and maybe even the traditional segments like “Yahweh or No Way” or “Cheating Death with Dr. Stephen T. Colbert, D.F.A.”
CBS chose Colbert because he was already a popular host with many fans and followers. However, for Colbert and CBS, this move seems almost like a cheap move — they’re both losing some major opportunities.
For Colbert, he’s not only giving up an incredible show, but he’s giving up a character that many have grown to love. For CBS, it’s missing the opportunity to put someone truly innovative in Letterman’s spot.
In a world where a guy named Jimmy is more likely to get a late-show gig than a person of color or a woman, it would be sweet to give someone other than a white guy a chance. For example, Tina Fey could definitely pull her own weight on a late show.
Hopefully it all works out for Colbert, because he’s one of the best comedians out there. If not, Comedy Central will surely keep his 11:30 p.m. slot nice and warm, ready for him to come on back home.
Opinion columnist Carolina Trevino is an advertising freshman and may be reached at [email protected]
