CBS has announced that comedian Stephen Colbert will be replacing David Letterman as host of The Late Show upon the latter’s retirement.
Colbert is the current host, writer, and executive producer of Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report and is a Charleston native. He has earned two Peabody Awards and 4 Emmy Awards for his work on the show. He also won two Grammy Awards and had two books become New York Times best-sellers.
Colbert grew up in James Island and attended Porter-Gaud. His father, James, was the first vice president for academic affairs at MUSC. A library on the hospital's complex is named after him. His sister, Elizabeth Colbert Busch, recently ran for a congressional seat in the state's first district, but lost to Mark Sanford.
Colbert (through a CBS press release) said, “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.”
CBS’s announcement comes just about a week after Letterman said he would be leaving The Late Show sometime in 2015, but no official date has been chosen yet. Letterman has been the iconic show’s host for 21 years.