Stephen Colbert Gives Glowing Send Off To ‘The Late Show’ Showrunner Chris Licht: “I Trained The Next President Of CNN”
deadline.comThe Late Show host Stephen Colbert was sure that Chris Licht was the right person for the job of showrunner of his CBS late-night show when the pair met over a drink six years ago.But Colbert said, “I wasn’t sure whether I would like him, whether we would become friends, because we’re all show folk here, and Chris is not….
I didn’t know whether I’d like him, but six years later, I love you, Chris.”Colbert gave his showrunner and arguably the man who helped turn around his late-night fortunes a glowing send off after Licht was named Chairman and CEO of CNN Global, starting in May.He joked that “he trained the next President of CNN”. “I believe legally CNN now stands for the Colbert News Network.
Obviously Chris is still under contract so we’re going to have to do this like a baseball trade. If CNN is taking Chris, I’m going to take Wolf Blitzer’s beard,” he laughed.The former host of The Colbert Report, who was behind NBC’s The Tonight Show in the ratings when Licht took over, praised his humility.“He arrived knowing what he didn’t know, which was anything about comedy or show business so he approached the job with a level of humility that is rare in executives.
But here’s the thing. 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 [Chris] did.
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