Stephen Colbert explains what David Letterman taught him before retiring
On Thursday's Jimmy Kimmel Live, Kimmel and Stephen Colbert agreed that Colbert's late-night home, the Ed Sullivan Theater, was the better venue. Kimmel noted that he took over the space from founding Late Show host David Letterman, after 22 years in the theater. "Did Dave give you, like, a tour?" Kimmel asked. Colbert said he called Letterman up about a week and a half before he went off the air and asked if he could just follow him around. "I asked him things like, 'Where do you hide from your producers?'" Colbert said, getting a laugh from Kimmel, and other technical things about hosting the show. "But mostly I said, 'Would you please teach me how to drive the elevator?'"
The Ed Sullivan Theater is connected to the Ed Sullivan office building by winding basement tunnels, and there's only one elevator, Colbert explained. "And it's an old, 1927 brass-handled self-driving elevator." "And there's no operator in there?" Kimmel asked. "No, it's just you," Colbert said. After Colbert finally got it right, Letterman turned to him and said, "Well now it's waiting for you," he said. "It was like someone handing you the keys to an old car." "It's like Willy Wonka, it's like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in a way," Kimmel said, and Colbert agreed. They don't sing, but you can watch below. Peter Weber
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Political cartoons for October 26Cartoons Sunday’s editorial cartoons include Young Republicans group chat, Louvre robbery, and more
-
Why Britain is struggling to stop the ransomware cyberattacksThe Explainer New business models have greatly lowered barriers to entry for criminal hackers
-
Greene’s rebellion: a Maga hardliner turns against TrumpIn the Spotlight The Georgia congresswoman’s independent streak has ‘not gone unnoticed’ by the president
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
