WATCH ABOVE: Stephen Colbert made his big premiere as host of the late-night show right here on Global TV. Don Champion has more on the big night from New York’s Ed Sullivan Theater.
TORONTO – It was a historic night as Stephen Colbert officially took over The Late Show from David Letterman, who hosted it for 22 years, entering a new era as The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.
The show opened with a pre-taped segment of Colbert and other musicians performing “The Star-Spangled Banner” in various locations around New York and the U.S. The segment ended with a cameo from Jon Stewart dressed as an umpire who yells out “Play ball!”
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Colbert took to the stage with a triumphant jog and was met with enthusiastic applause from the audience.
“If I knew you were going to do that, I’d have come out months ago,” the new Late Show host quipped.
Before launching into his typical brand of political jokes, many skewering Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, he gave an unusual plug to Sabra Hummus that had some confused.
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As he continued his opening monologue, the camera panned to CBS president Les Moonves, who appeared on screen with a switch that allowed him to switch between The Late Show and The Mentalist at any moment.
Colbert then sat behind his desk using TV news graphics similar to those used on The Colbert Report.
Colbert first interview of the night was with George Clooney, in which he gave the actor a belated wedding gift to congratulate him on his 2014 marriage to his wife, Amal, a human-rights lawyer.
“How does it feel to be Amal’s arm candy?” Colbert asked before presenting him with an engraved paper weight from Tiffany’s that reads “I don’t know you.”
During his interview with presidential candidate Jeb Bush, Colbert explained how he was different from the grandstanding Conservative character he had played for nearly 10 years on The Colbert Report.
“I used to play a narcissistic conservative pundit,” Colbert told Bush Tuesday night. “Now I’m just a narcissist.”
While that persona is now behind him, the first episode of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert showed that the comedian’s upbeat sense of humour and sharp political satire will be a key feature of his hosting persona of the late-night talk show.
The show’s final musical number featured an all-star performance of “Everyday People” with soul singer Mavis Staples and Colbert’s bandleader, Jon Batiste.
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