Late-night television host Seth Meyers has expressed sadness over the end of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, describing it as a difficult moment for American television.
Speaking in an interview with Deadline ahead of Stephen Colbert’s final broadcast, Meyers said he was heartbroken over the development and disappointed that the time slot would no longer be used for another late-night programme.
“I’m heartbroken,” Meyers said. “It’s very sad to lose a colleague and even sadder to lose a time slot. It would be one thing if Stephen was leaving and a younger person was getting a chance to have one of these jobs that are — as someone who’s experienced it — so exciting to have. So just in general, I think it’s a very sad week for television in America.”
Following the end of Colbert’s show, the 11:35 p.m. slot on CBS will reportedly be occupied by Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen under a time-buy arrangement.
Colbert, however, is already preparing for his next major project. Reports indicate that he has signed on to co-write the screenplay for the upcoming The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past.
Reacting to the news, Meyers said he believes Colbert’s next chapter will be successful.
“I’m also very optimistic that Stephen’s next chapter is going to be exciting for him and for the rest of us,” he said. “I think he’s been slow-playing this as what his next step was going to be for years and I’m very excited it’s going to happen.”
Meyers spoke while attending the world premiere of Rafa in Madrid. The four-part documentary focuses on tennis legend Rafael Nadal and was directed by Zach Heinzerling, Meyers’ brother-in-law.
The comedian praised both the documentary and Nadal’s personality.
“For the last two years, I’ve watched Zach sort of fall in love with Rafa, the man. He obviously started the way I started, a huge fan of the way [Rafa] plays on the court,” Meyers said. “It’s a great documentary about who Rafa is as a person and it’s also a great sports documentary. So excited to be here for the premiere.”
Meyers also joked about the possibility of competing against the documentary during awards season.
“I’m just so happy they’re not in the same category because I would turn my back on Zach,” he joked. “I love him very much. I would turn my back on him immediately if we were competing for the same Emmy.”
