In the latest episode of Jerry Seinfelds Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, Stephen Colbert revealedhe was planning on ending his beloved Comedy Central show, The Colbert Report,before he wasnamed David Lettermans successor on The Late Show. You can watch the clip here.
After Seinfeld praised the Colbert character and remarked how even after nine years, Colbert himself never seemed tired of it, the host said, I was ready to stop, I was going tostop whether or not. The Letterman thing fell in my lap. With a grin, Colbert then quickly asked Seinfeld (perhaps for the millionth time), Whyd you stop your show? Your show was a very good show, Jerry. You were one of the greatest performers Id ever seen on television on NBC.
Later on, Colbert and Seinfeld discussed the relocation of the late-night nexus to New York City after decades on the West Coast, andthe new Late Show host quashed any potential for a Leno-Letterman-esque rivalry between himself and Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon.
Watch Stephen Colbert Introduce New 'Late Show' BandleaderComing of Age: Millennials' Most Earth-Shaking Sexual Moments20 Insanely Great Eminem Tracks Only Hardcore Fans Know
I think nothing would be more boring than a late-night war, Colbert said. We went and had drinks and talked about it, actually. It was shortly after it was announced that I was going to get the gig. I said, Lets get together and have some drinks, and we laughed and told stories. Thats it. It was lovely.
Elsewhere in his conversation with Seinfeld,Colbert spoke about his years as a struggling actor in Chicago, his between-show beard(Im going for a mid-career Connery, Colbert cracked) and, using a spoon, artfully pretended to pack and smoke a pipe. Colbert also revealed an interesting factoidabout his former boss, Jon Stewart, whom he said his wife knew long before the pair met on The Daily Show.
She always lords it over me that shes known Jon longer than I have, Colbert said. I think his roommate dated her roommate, or something like that. And when he got the gig, she was like, Thats Jon Leibowitz. Whats he doing? Hes not funny!'
Colbert continues to prep for his new Late Show gig, but has been releasing a number of videos to tide fans over until his September 8th debut. Most recently, he prepared for the apocalypseafter computer glitches shut down Wall Street, and at the beginning of July, he popped up on Michigan public access TVwhere he interviewed Eminem.