It's finally here! Stephen Colbert is ditching the faux persona that we've loved to hate for years, and starting a new leg of his late night journey. But, who are Stephen Colbert's first Late Show guests? The first week, which starts on Tuesday with the series premiere, has got quite the line up.
What I'm personally psyched about is the mix between people from business, pop culture, and politics. None of these guests are people you would expect to be in the same room together, and it doesn't look like Stephen Colbert is trying to boast about how many famous friends he has. In fact, the variety of guests is a refreshing change of pace from what we're used to. On Comedy Central, the guests were often limited to political, economic, and environmental figures that the "Stephen Colbert" persona could really dig into and try to knock down.
However, the rare deep talks with artists were always my favorite part of the Colbert Report. Watching Stephen Colbert almost drop character to geek out over Lord of the Rings or Stephen Sondheim's musicals was always a pleasure. So, it goes without saying that I'm looking forward to all of these guests! Here's what the first week is looking like.
1. George Clooney
The actor will be Colbert's first guest on the season premiere.
2. Jeb Bush
The presidential candidate will also appear on the premiere.
3. Jon Batiste
The musician is also his band leader, so the premiere is giving us the opportunity to really get to know him.
4. Scarlett Johansson
The actress, who recently finished shooting Captain America: Civil War, will be on the show's second episode.
5. Elon Musk
The entrepreneur and inventor will join Johansson on the second episode.
6. Kendrick Lamar
The final guest on the Sept. 9 show is rapper Kendrick Lamar.
7. Travis Kalanick
Keeping with the entrepreneurial tradition, Colbert's guest on the 10th will be Travis Kalanick, the chief executive of Uber.
8. Toby Keith
The musical guest on Thursday, Sept. 10 is country star Toby Keith.
9. Joe Biden
Finally, the VP himself will also appear on the third episode. No big deal!
10. Amy Schumer
On Late Show With Stephen Colbert's first Friday, comedian Amy Schumer will make an appearance, fresh off the heels of Trainwreck and leading up to her Saturday Night Live appearance.
11. Stephen King
Joining Schumer is novelist Stephen King. As someone who has also written about writing in general, I'm sure he and Colbert will have a good discussion.
12. "Troubled Waters"
This is an unknown Paul Simon tribute band which is already causing some raised eyebrows. Is this a bit? We won't know until it happens, but I'm sure with Colbert's behind it, it'll be great.
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