Skip to main content

CBS announces guests for first week of Late Show with Stephen Colbert

late show stephen colbert guest lineup colbert2
Image used with permission by copyright holder
There are a lot of questions surrounding Stephen Colbert’s Late Show debut, not the least of which is how his real-life personality will play with fans. The funnyman made a name for himself by playing an America-worshipping, freedom-touting Conservative caricature, but that persona won’t travel with him from Comedy Central to CBS. While uncertainty still abounds, we just got our first look at the news host’s guests and musical performers for his first week on-air — and let’s just say there isn’t a small name on the list.

Early this morning, CBS announced the slate, and it should certainly make for some interesting conversations, if not a confrontation or two. Here’s the full lineup:

Recommended Videos

September 8

Guests: George Clooney, Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush

Musical performance: Jon Batiste and Stay Human

September 9

Guests: Scarlett Johansson, SpaceX and Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk

Musical performance: Kendrick Lamar

September 10

Guest: Uber CEO Travis Kalanick

Musical performance: Toby Keith

September 11

Guests: Amy Schumer, Stephen King

Musical performance: Troubled Waters

While virtually every name on that list sticks out, one of the most intriguing is Jeb Bush. In the past, Colbert hasn’t hesitated to skewer the Bush family with satire, and his speech at George W. Bush’s White House Correspondent’s Dinner … well, let’s just say it got a little uncomfortable.

Looking ahead a bit further, it will be interesting to see the dynamic between the new host and Amy Schumer, who may just be the hottest name in all of comedy right now. She also has a show on the network (Comedy Central) that Colbert left for CBS and the Late Show.

If you want an idea of the new host’s sense of humor sans the political shtick, the last time we saw Colbert in host format was during his completely random takeover of Only in Monroe, a public access program for a small city that lies just south of Detroit. During the show, he interviewed the Hip-Hop Artist Eminem and drew laughs mostly from the pure surrealism and absurdity of the situation.

While he may be the king of Monroe, Michigan’s media, in the late-night world, the jury is still out on the former Colbert Report host. If you want our opinion, however, someone with his comedic chops won’t have trouble drawing audiences in, and keeping them there.

Late Show with Stephen Colbert debuts September 8, 2015.

Adam Poltrack
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Adam is an A/V News Writer for Digital Trends, and is responsible for bringing you the latest advances in A/V…
3 great dramas on Amazon Prime Video you need to watch in November 2024
Robin Williams and Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting.

Never let it be said that Amazon Prime Video isn't stacked with great dramas. Amazon wasn't content to only have the great MGM film library at its disposal, as Prime Video regularly adds movies from other studios to bolster its lineup. While there are plenty of action flicks and comedies on the platform, Prime Video is also home to several world-class dramas that rank among the best in the genre.

This month's selections for the three dramas on Prime Video that you need to watch in November all have a shared theme of mentorship and emotionally cathartic experiences. That's why they're such fitting choices for the holidays, and suitable for viewers who want to see some heartwarming moments.

Read more
A legendary musician wrote a bonkers Gladiator II movie that was never made
A man walks in a field of wheat in Gladiator.

Russell Crowe in Gladiator DreamWorks

It took more than 20 years, but they finally got around to making a sequel to Gladiator, the rock-the-Colosseum phenomenon that conquered the box office and won the Best Picture Oscar at the start of this century. Ridley Scott’s belated return to an Ancient Rome of swords, sandals, and teeming CGI crowds finally arrives in American theaters this weekend, ready to satiate the bloodlust of a multiplex hoi polloi ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. Whether moviegoers will flock to Gladiator II as bountifully as they did to its beloved predecessor remains to be seen. Twenty-four years is a long time. And Paul Mescal, magnetic actor though he can be, is no Russell Crowe.

Read more
Glicked: Can Wicked and Gladiator II pull a Barbenheimer at the box office?
Two witches stares up on the left and a Roman solder stands on the right.

In 2023, Barbie and Oppenheimer combined forces to create the pop culture phenomenon known as "Barbenheimer." In 2024, Wicked and Gladiator II will try to emulate that success with "Glicked."

This weekend, Wicked and Gladiator II are squaring off at the box office in what should be one of the biggest weekends of the year for theaters. Both films started on the right track thanks to early previews and Thursday night screenings. Per Deadline, Wicked pulled in about $11 million on Thursday night alone, while Gladiator did about $6.5 million.

Read more