Leslie Moonves Talks About Stephen Colbert Replacing David Letterman

Posted on April 11, 2014

Stephen Colbert is replacing David Letterman as the host of The Late Show. Letterman is stepping down after hosting the show for 21 years. Colbert will takeover the show in 2015 and end his current show, The Colbert Report on Comedy Central. He signed a five-year deal with CBS.

Colbert said in a statement, "Simply being a guest on David Letterman's show has been a highlight of my career. I never dreamed that I would follow in his footsteps, though everyone in late night follows Dave's lead. I'm thrilled and grateful that CBS chose me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go grind a gap in my front teeth."

Letterman said, "Stephen has always been a real friend to me. I'm very excited for him, and I'm flattered that CBS chose him. I also happen to know they wanted another guy with glasses."

Leslie Moonves, President and CEO, CBS Corporation, stopped by CBS This Morning to discuss the big decision. Moonves says, "Stephen is so multi-talented. He's good at improv, he's good at interviewing, he's good at sketch comedy."

The deal took only a week. Moonves says, "Stephen wanted this and so did we. We made it happen quickly."

Take a look:

STEPHEN COLBERT