Here comes Colbert

Last week the world received some pretty dramatic news — David Letterman is retiring as host of “The Late Show.”
CBS announced that Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert will replace
Letterman.

I love Colbert. I don’t get to watch “The Colbert Report” as often as I like because by 11:30 p.m. I’m either ready to crash or am just starting my homework.
But on the nights I’m feeling crazy or seeking extreme procrastination, I like to listen to Colbert play devil’s advocate and make fun of America’s biggest assholes.

Starting next year, the world will get a full hour of the real Colbert, not the hilariously over-the-top, patriotic and bigoted character he plays on Comedy Central.

Still, some don’t think Colbert was the best choice. Members of my beloved Buzzfeed have criticized CBS for playing it safe by choosing Colbert.
Buzzfeed’s Krystie Lee Yandoll, Tracy Clayton, Adrian Carrasquillo and Erin La Rosa transcribed a long conversation about the straight white male-dominated world of late night television.

They have a point. Late night television is run by straight white males.
There’s Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, Jon Stewart, Colbert, Conan O’Brien, Carson Daly and Craig Ferguson, who I just discovered existed. Thank you, Google.

The only female late night host is E!’s Chelsea Handler. Just one woman among nine men. And they’re all white.

Yandoll and the other Buzzfeed writers seem to be under the impression that the lack of women and people of color in late night television is because we, the audience, have forgotten that women and people of color can be funny.

I don’t think CBS choosing Colbert has anything to do with being afraid to hire a woman or a person of color. Kevin Hart is arguably the greatest comedian today, but that doesn’t mean he’s suitable to host a TV show.

In the article, Yandoll and the other writers suggest Amy Poehler and Tina Fey. As awesome as that would be, those two are a little busy ruling the world.

The hard truth is that CBS is a corporation. It’s a business that produces entertainment for us to consume. CBS needs entertainers who can draw in viewers, increase ratings and bring in more money. That’s what it did by choosing Colbert.

Colbert, a quality entertainer who has already built a loyal audience and fan base, works hard and knows what he’s doing. I’d say that’s a pretty smart move.
I don’t remember this issue being brought up when it was announced that Fallon would replace Jay Leno. No one questioned why NBC chose Meyers instead of Kenan Thompson to replace Fallon on “Late Night.”

Colbert deserves the same chance to move up the ladder like Fallon. He’s a talented comedian who can bring a lot to CBS. We also can’t forget that by leaving “The Colbert Report,” Colbert leaves an open spot for someone to fill — hello Wyatt Cenac, what are you doing in 2015? That would make everyone happy.

This is a replacement for David Letterman, we’re talking about. Letterman isn’t a small name. Letterman has been doing late night television for more than 30 years.

He deserves to know he will be replaced by someone who can meet the standards of the program he has been building for more than a
decade.

Colbert has the potential to be that someone.

­lnkbanks@indiana.edu
@LexiaBanks