CBS ‘Late Show’ Will Broadcast Live on Election Night
Stephen Colbert is gearing up for a new round of election-night results.
The late night comic will host a live broadcast of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on CBS on Tuesday, November 6, continuing a tradition of doing the show live around big events of national importance. The last live “Late Show” aired Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2018 following President Trump’s State of the Union address. This election-night event will mark the 18th time “Late Show” has broadcast live.
CBS said guests for the broadcast, to take place at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York, will be announced at a later date.
The live broadcasts have lent Colbert distinction in a competitive era in late-night TV. Indeed, he credits a live broadcast for Showtime on the night of the 2016 presidential election for helping him find his voice after coming to CBS from Viacom’s Comedy Central. During that broadcast, during which it became clear Donald Trump would defeat Hillary Clinton, Colbert had to abandon his original plans.
The audience in the Ed Sullivan Theater was not happy with the news, and the crowd’s surprise colored the evening, turning what should have been an upbeat night into the equivalent of an on -air funeral. Within 40 minutes of going on the air, the comedian began drinking bourbon onstage. Colbert maneuvered through a difficult environment, and liked the fact that he had been able to do so. “The last 10 minutes of that election show were honest. They were honest, and that was a turning point for us,” he told Variety in 2017.
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