Hosting a talk show can be a stressful, unfulfilling job. Especially if the network cancels the show out of nowhere, like CBS did to The Late Show. Stephen Colbert opened up about needing therapy over his late-night talk show. Keep reading to find out why he needed professional help.
Stephen Colbert Reveals Needing Therapy Over Late-Night Show
Johnny Carson was a legendary talk show host. When he retired in 1992, he hand-picked David Letterman to replace him. But NBC had other plans. They gave Jay Leno the job instead, sparking a bitter rivalry. CBS seized the moment by offering Letterman a late-night talk show of his own, The Late Show with David Letterman. Several replacements were considered in 2015 when he retired. Stephen Colbert was the top pick. But after over a decade as host, his time is coming to an end. The Late Show goes off the air for good on Thursday, May 21, after CBS made the shocking decision to cancel it.
Stephen Colbert reflected on hosting the late-night show for so long. In a new interview with PEOPLE magazine, he revealed that he needed therapy over the show. “At first I was like, ‘No, I can’t go do that job. I’m not a standup. I’ve never been myself,’” he shared about why he went to therapy for four months before accepting the job.
Stephen Colbert was on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show before headlining his own show. He played a fictional conservative pundit on The Colbert Report. He ultimately accepted the offer to host The Late Show after advice from a surprising person.
Surprising Person Convinced Him To Accept Job
Stephen Colbert has no regrets over accepting the hosting job, despite the current circumstances. But he almost turned the job down. As he told PEOPLE magazine, he wasn’t sure hosting a talk show was in his skill set. A surprising person in his life talked him into accepting the offer without even saying a word.
He sought the advice of his sister after CBS offered him the late-night gig. “I would have talked to my mom about this, but she had passed at this point, and so nobody [in my family] knew that I had been offered this job, and I asked my sister, Mary, I said, ‘Mary, could you come up?’ She lived in D.C. I said, ‘Could you come up to New York? I just want to talk to you about something,’” he explained to PEOPLE.
He went on to reveal that she immediately came to New York. Stephen Colbert recalled fixing them drinks before simply telling her that David Letterman was retiring. According to the talk show host, his sister smiled at the news, indicating to him that he should accept the deal. “Her happiness for me getting the gig is the thing that really sealed it for me,” he told PEOPLE magazine.
He also shared that what he’ll miss most about The Late Show ending is the audience. Share your reaction to the cancellation in the comments.
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger