Stephen Colbert explains what David Letterman taught him before retiring

Stephen Colbert talks what he learned from David Letterman
(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/Jimmy Kimmel Live)

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

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Peter Weber, The Week US

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.