Stephen Colbert (left) and David Letterman right)
Photo Credit: Jeffery R. Staab/CBS, via Associated Press
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Once upon a time, the transfer of power from one monarch to another would involve some pomp and ritual, maybe even a passing of a crown. But when Stephen Colbert visited David Letterman on “The Late Show,” the comedy franchise he will inherit next year, they commemorated the occasion in grand 2014 style: With the taking of a selfie. The comedy titans flashed broad smiles, with Mr. Colbert leaning forward.
Mr. Colbert wore black-framed glasses and was not in character, and the two hosts seemed to enjoy each other’s company, laughing frequently and ribbing without fear. Their conversation was friendly and enlivened by moments of mock-tension where the two squabbled over the details of the transition. “When are you leaving?” Mr. Colbert asked bluntly at one point. After a laugh, Mr. Letterman, who has been no more specific than saying he will leave the show in 2015, responded: “What’s it worth to you?”
But in an illustration of the remarkable staying power and legacy left by Mr. Letterman, much of the interview consisted of Mr. Colbert talking about his failed attempts to secure a job working for Mr. Letterman over the past few decades. He submitted a Top 10 list in the 1990s but started work at the show “Strangers With Candy” before he got a call back. And in the mid-1980s, Mr. Colbert was offered a job as an intern on “Late Night With David Letterman” on NBC, but turned it down because there was no salary.
So to be sure, the successor asked: “Dave, I have to ask you, the next job I’m taking here. It pays right?”
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Here is direct link to a video of their conversation.
Jason Zinoman is a theater writer at The New York Times.