We’re only a couple of months away from the final episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The announcement that the show would be ending sent shockwaves through the world of television, and while we’ve known for months that the show was coming to an end, host Stephen Colbert admits he still hasn’t really had a chance to come to terms with it.
In an appearance on the Smartless podcast, Colbert talked about his feelings regarding the show ending, except that he doesn’t really have any feelings... at least not yet. He says he hasn’t really been able to process the end of the show for the simple reason that he’s still doing the show, and that takes all his time and attention. He explained…
On one level, I have no time to feel anything about it. Because, as I said, I was just saying it really is like a flaming toboggan ride every day. Like you, we got to I got to show I don't have time for this bullshit. I've got to go do a show today, and it takes everything I got.
Considering that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert produces new episodes on almost every weekday, it’s certainly not a shock that the job is taking a lot of time. Each day requires writing new jokes and putting together interviews with different guests. There’s certainly a lot of work that goes into it.
As far as what the future holds for Colbert, beyond the occasional joke about going to work for Netflix, Colbert hasn't revealed what's next for him. It seems that's because he doesn't know, and for the same reason: he hasn’t had time to consider the question. While he hints generally at some work in the future, a long-term future plan hasn’t been announced by Colbert because he doesn’t have one. Colbert said…
I don't know what I'm going to do after this, because I don't have time to really — I mean I've got stuff — I'm committed to doing things after this that I committed to before we were cancelled that I've got to like, deliver on. What I'm going to really do, I don't know, because this takes almost all of my brain to do this. And I love this group of people that I work with.
At least one of the things that we know Colbert is committed to is screenwriting. He’s attached to co-write a Lord of the Rings movie as part of the current franchise expansion that will start with Andy Serkis ' The Hunt for Gollum movie.
While CBS may be getting out of the late-night game, one assumes that if Stephen Colbert wants to host another talk show or other comedy series, he will have his choice of options. Colbert has made it clear he would have stayed with The Late Show for a long time if given the chance, and so he's going to need something new to keep him busy.
