What is Stephen Colbert up to next?
The “Late Show” host has only been off the air for a little more than a week and already speculation is rampant about his next move. The day after the final episode of his CBS talk show, Colbert took over a community access program in Michigan called “Only in Monroe,” where he talked up local eateries and made peanut butter, potato chip and BBQ sandwiches with Jeff Daniels.
“It’s been an excruciating 23 hours without being on TV, so I am grateful to be able to be here on Monroe Community Media before they also get acquired by Paramount,” Colbert said to the audience of dozens.
The program ended with Colbert breaking the set apart and setting it on fire. The whole thing, it turns out, was an elaborate bit that was, according to CBS, actually financed and produced by CBS Studios. He did the whole thing for fun.
Which makes predicting Colbert’s next move particularly difficult. He is, first and foremost, a comedian. He created the “idiot-on-the-street”-style interviews that became a staple of “The Daily Show,” assuming a character to interview unassuming individuals about hot-button topics, before making it the central premise of “The Colbert Report.” But he didn’t create the persona because he wanted to be a political warrior. He did it because it was funny.
With goodwill for Colbert at an all-time high amidst his “Late Show” goodbye, he could seemingly do anything he wants. But aside from a “Lord of the Rings” movie he’s co-writing (more on that in a moment), the “Late Show” host has been tight-lipped about his next move.
“There’s so much to think about to do the show, so I don’t have much better of an answer than most college seniors do, which is I’ve got to finish this first, because it takes almost the entirety of my brain to do this show,” Colbert told People ahead of his final episode. “So we’ll land this plane and we’ll check out the view from there. But I’m available.”
So, what’s next? “Judging by his cable access show, I’d lean more YouTube, podcast or something low budget,” New York Times culture critic Jason Zinoman told TheWrap when asked what he thought Colbert was likely to do next. “Though I could see him playing a supporting role in a Sondheim musical.”
That’s the thing about Colbert. His interests are vast, and while he eventually became a politics-forward late night host, “Late Show” didn’t start as one. Musical theater, obscure comedy, a deep-dive into history – it’s all on the table. Here’s what’s most likely to happen.
A representative for Colbert didn’t respond to TheWrap’s request for comment on this story.
More late night?
After leaving their flagship programs, David Letterman, Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien and Jon Stewart all created new late night or late night-adjacent shows to, essentially, keep doing some version of what they had been doing. But the world of late night has changed dramatically even since O’Brien ended his TBS late night show in 2021, so the prospect of Colbert doing more of the same is iffy.
Remember, he wasn’t a traditional comic when CBS tapped him to host “The Late Show,” nor did he advocate for the gig. He was a character comedian largely famous for sketch comedy. And while the major streamers like Netflix or Apple would likely be lucky to add Colbert to their rosters, most of the streaming services have largely abandoned their own attempts to mimic the late night format, with Netflix instead now licensing YouTube shows from famous creators and podcasters.
Which brings us to…
YouTube Show
One curious development that happened in the wake of Colbert’s final “Late Show” is that he launched a personal YouTube channel. Right now it only has one video – the “Only in Monroe” episode – and a little over 280,000 subscribers, but it’s a potential home for whatever he may do next. The same creators siphoning ad dollars away from traditional late night TV have been making a living putting their content on YouTube, and now Colbert could play their game if he wanted to.
But what kind of YouTube show?
It’s anyone’s guess, but given that every celebrity in town nowadays has one, the most likely bet is…
Podcasting
Everybody has a podcast, so why not Colbert? Even Jon Stewart splits his “Daily Show” duties between his Monday hosting of the TV show and his weekly podcast, “The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart.” This could be an outlet to leverage the audience that rallied around Colbert when he was being attacked by Donald Trump, leaning further into poking the president. Or it could be something entirely devoid of politics. A deep-dive into history or music, two of Colbert’s most fervent passions.
The political question is an interesting one. When Colbert first launched “The Late Show,” it wasn’t nearly as political as it became. He did comedy bits and leaned on interviews, but the tone of the show was more in line with Fallon’s “Tonight Show” than the more politically inclined “Late Night With Seth Meyers.” It wasn’t until ratings were sagging and Colbert’s team decided to switch things up that he leaned more heavily into politics, finding his groove poking fun at Trump with more dad-like humor than the sometimes vitriolic barbs of Meyers or Stewart.
Even when Colbert ran for president in the South Carolina primaries — a stunt that happened in both 2007 and 2012 — that was a bit. The move was designed to highlight the absurdities of campaign finance laws rather than being based in any real interest to sway political opinions. That’s what Colbert specialized in dating back to his “Daily Show” days, using satire to poke fun at the absurdities of our political system rather than actively attempt to change it.
All of which to say, while Colbert could have a healthy career as a political podcaster if he wanted to, his initial reluctance to be a political comedian – and the fact that he personally identifies as more centrist – could mean those wishing for him to be the Left’s answer to Joe Rogan are doing so in vain.
A run for president?
But what about a run for president? Colbert floated the idea to Barack Obama during an interview in his final weeks of “Late Show,” and the former president didn’t necessarily knock it down.
“The bar has changed,” Obama said with a laugh. “I think that you could perform significantly better than some folks that we’ve seen.”
When Colbert asked if that was an endorsement, Obama was quick to retort, “It was not.”
But the comedian doesn’t seem likely to heed the call from those who want him to take on the Oval Office. “For the record I think it’s a stupid idea,” he told Obama of the notion of him running for president.
Besides, Hollywood’s calling.
Middle-earth
The one project we know for sure that Colbert is working on is a new “Lord of the Rings” movie. He revealed, during the wind-down of “Late Show,” that he’s been co-writing a new film with his son and Philippa Boyens for the better part of a year.
The news came as no surprise to those who’ve been paying attention. Colbert is a “LOTR” superfan, even shocking Peter Jackson and Boyens — who co-wrote all of Jackson’s original films — with his knowledge of Tolkien’s sprawling franchise.
Colbert’s movie is the second of two Warner Bros. extensions of the franchise in the works, and picks up 14 years after the events of “Return of the King.”
Right now, Colbert is only a writer on the project. But given that he spent many days on the set of Jackson’s “Hobbit” movies, one imagines he’ll want to be onhand to see his “LOTR” movie come to fruition, whenever that may be.
A comedy theater
Because Colbert is such a comedy lover, there’s a real chance he may spend his next chapter teaching rather than performing.
An outspoken Second City alum, Colbert joined the comedy school’s board in 2021 and its Artistic Advisory Board in 2022. He was also effusive in his praise of the Ed Sullivan theater throughout his time on CBS, and he has a sterling reputation in Hollywood, especially when it comes to helping mentor younger talent. That latter point is becoming more apparent as former “Late Show” staffers have spoken up to praise their old boss.
The live comedy scene has not been in a good place since the COVID years. The pandemic resulted in closures for the Upright Citizens Brigade and Chicago’s iO theater, and Just For Laughs filed for bankruptcy. Given his reputation and love of live theater, it wouldn’t be out of the question for Colbert to spend his next act teaching or at least helping the next generation of comedians.
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