Ahead of tonight’s interview on The Colbert Report, the non-Report version of Stephen Colbert hosted the annual Kennedy Center Honors last night for future employer CBS. Like any good master of ceremonies, Colbert used his opening remarks to roast a few of the night’s more prominent guests. Chief among his targets were President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. But this was real Colbert, not Report Colbert. Still with me?
Deadline suggests last night’s hosting duties could provide insight into what Colbert’s take on the Late Show might look like:
It’s unclear if the gig signals a larger role for Colbert at CBS, like we hope, or the network just wants to goose ratings on the normally pretty staid ceremony, which comes with OK ratings but oozes prestige and Washington glad-handing opportunity. Last night marked the second time Colbert has participated in the ceremony; in 2011 he was part of KenCen Honors’ tribute to Yo-Yo Ma.
It’s a nice idea, but I’d like to think Colbert and Obama are just f*cking with audiences ahead of tonight’s eighth-to-last episode of The Colbert Report. So meta. Much wow.
