Copyright CinemaBlend
The late-night TV business is in an interesting position right now, as some entertainment companies are shifting away from the long-used model. Over the past few years, networks have either reduced resources for such shows or just axed them altogether. A recent casualty of the changing media landscape was Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show, which was canceled by CBS earlier this year. While the paradigm is shifting, Colbert still has his reasons for why late-night talk shows should stick around. Stephen Colbert has been hosting for quite some time now, given his work on The Late Show and The Colbert Report before that. (However, on that latter show, Colbert played a fictional character who shared his name.) The veteran media personality discussed the state of late-night TV during an interview with GQ. With his own show coming to an end, Colbert was asked about the necessity of his peers like Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon carrying on, and he shared a keen thought: There’s a long and esteemed history associated with late-night talk shows in the United States. For decades, viewers have (figuratively) welcomed excellent talk show hosts into their homes – from Ed Sullivan and Johnny Carson to David Letterman and Conan O’Brien. (Let’s also not forget those great late-night sidekicks.) Said hosts would then go over the news of the day and generate reactions from those in the live audience or viewers at home. Stephen Colbert’s comments point to hosts serving as a source of comfort for those who may be disillusioned by what’s going on in the world at a particular time. He also makes a fair point in that there’s a communal experience that comes with taking in talk shows. Colbert also weighed in on another purpose that a show like his serves: While making this argument, Colbert also admitted he understands people have a plethora of options when looking for outlets amid their personal time. Still, he finds that talk shows have a keen advantage: Honestly, it’s somewhat hard to believe new episodes of The Late Show won’t be “there” for fans to watch this time next year. Its cancellation was announced in July, with CBS and Paramount chalking the decision up to financial reasons. Stars like Bowen Yang and Jimmy Kimmel expressed discontent, while some speculated that the move was politically motivated due to Stephen Colbert criticizing CBS $16 million lawsuit settlement with President Donald Trump. For his part, Colbert isn’t giving energy to that speculation.
