On his show Monday night, left-wing Late Show host Stephen Colbert was ecstatic that his executive producer Chris Licht had been tapped to become the president of CNN. He heaped praise on Licht while jokingly taking credit for having “trained the next president of CNN.”
“First off, I hope everybody here understands that we are not news, we here at The Late Show watch the news like you do and have a reaction like you do,” Colbert claimed moments before he made it all about him and his colleague. “Jim, put up that headline, ‘Executive producer and showrunner of The Late Show Chris Licht has been selected as the next president of CNN,’” the host hailed.
In jest, Colbert imagined the already-leftist CNN being remade in his far-left image:
That is what’s called breaking news. Our own Chris Licht, right over there at that podium, is leaving this show to take over CNN. I trained the next president of CNN. So I believe – I believe, I believe legally CNN now stands for the Colbert News Network.
According to initial reports, Licht has actually been hired by Discovery CEO David Zaslav to lead CNN “back to the middle” and try to restore its credibility.
“If CNN’s taking Chris, I’m going to take Wolf Blitzer’s beard,” Colbert joked before turning to band leader Jon Batiste and wondering: “Anyone else? Jon, do you have any plans to take over at MSNBC?” Batiste quipped: “Not until I settle beef with Rachel Maddow....We’ve got a thing we gotta work out.”
Moments later, Colbert fawned over Licht: “There are bosses and then there are leaders. Bosses tell you what to do. Leaders work as hard as you do to do what needs to be done. And that’s what you did....And I’m happy that CNN will now benefit from all of his wisdom.”
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Here is a transcript of the segment aired early on the morning of March 1:
12:03 AM ET
STEPHEN COLBERT: First off, I hope everybody here understands that we are not news, we here at The Late Show watch the news like you do and have a reaction like you do. And my reaction to this weekend is that no one has covered the big story like the team over at CNN. Jim, put up that headline, “Executive producer and showrunner of The Late Show Chris Licht has been selected as the next president of CNN.” (Cheers and applause)
That – that, right there. Good photo, it’s a good photo. That is what’s called breaking news. Our own Chris Licht, right over there at that podium, is leaving this show to take over CNN. I trained the next president of CNN. So I believe – I believe, I believe legally CNN now stands for the Colbert News Network. (Cheers and applause)
Now obviously, Chris is still under contract so we’re going to have to do this like a baseball trade. If CNN’s taking Chris, I’m going to take Wolf Blitzer’s beard.
Anyone else? Jon, do you have any plans to take over at MSNBC?
JON BATISTE: Not until I settle beef with Rachel Maddow.
COLBERT: That’s true, that’s true.
BATISTE: We’ve got a thing we gotta work out.
(...)
12:07 AM ET
COLBERT: There are bosses and then there are leaders. Bosses tell you what to do. Leaders work as hard as you do to do what needs to be done. And that’s what you did. And that is why your leadership – that is why he earned the respect of all of us here who live in the clown car. We showed him what we really wanted to do, which is the show that we do now. And he immediately started creating the lines of communication, the lanes of responsibility, and the respectful workplace that makes creative ambition at this speed here possible. And I’m happy that CNN will now benefit from all of his wisdom.
(...)
