John Oliver is the newest late night time host to react to the surprising cancellation of The Late Present With Stephen Colbert.
“Clearly, I like Stephen. I like his workers. I like that present. It’s extremely unhappy. I’m partly excited to see what they’re gonna do for the following 10 months,” the Final Week Tonight host advised reporters over the weekend in Erie, Pennsylvania, per Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter.
“It’s horrible, horrible information for the world of comedy,” the British comic lamented.
Each Oliver, 48, and Colbert, 61, have been correspondents on The Day by day Present — although not on the identical time — earlier than touchdown their very own late night time reveals on HBO and CBS, respectively. Colbert took over The Late Present from David Letterman, whereas Oliver’s weekly collection started in 2014.
“Late-night reveals imply quite a bit to me, not simply because I work in them, as a result of even rising up in England, I might watch Letterman’s present, which in fact was Stephen’s present, and take into consideration what a glamorous world that was,” Oliver added.
He continued, “So to have gotten to have been on Letterman’s present and Stephen’s present was at all times one of the crucial enjoyable issues. So it’s very, very, very unhappy information. I sit up for seeing what [Colbert is] gonna do subsequent as a result of that man is not going to cease.”
Colbert broke the information of his present’s cancellation in the course of the taping of the Thursday, July 17, episode.
“Earlier than we begin the present, I need to let you understand one thing that I came upon simply final night time: Subsequent 12 months will probably be our final season, the community [CBS] will probably be ending The Late Present in Could,” he advised the studio viewers.
“I share your emotions,” he responded to boos from the viewers. “It’s not simply the tip of our present, nevertheless it’s the tip of The Late Present on CBS. I’m not being changed. That is all simply going away. I do need to say that the oldsters at CBS have been nice companions … And I’m grateful to the viewers, you, who’ve joined us each night time, in right here, on the market, and all world wide.”
In a press release the identical day, CBS mentioned the choice to finish The Late Present was purely a monetary one unrelated “in any technique to the present’s efficiency, content material or different issues occurring at Paramount.”
“We’re proud that Stephen known as CBS residence. He and the printed will probably be remembered within the pantheon of greats that graced late night time tv,” the community mentioned.
CBS continued, “Our admiration, affection, and respect for the skills of Stephen Colbert and his unimaginable group made this agonizing determination much more tough. With a lot gratitude, we sit up for honoring Stephen and celebrating the present over the following 10 months alongside its tens of millions of followers and viewers.”
