‘Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ to Go Live After Biden’s Address to Congress
Stephen Colbert will stay up late on April 28 to host a live episode of CBS’ “The Late Show” following President Joe Biden’s first primetime address to a joint session of Congress.
“Late Show” has made a habit of planning live episodes to coincide with big political events. The April 28 episode will mark the show’s 43rd live edition since the Colbert era of “The Late Show” began in September 2015. The most recent live outing was on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20.
More from Variety
Taylor Swift Reveals to Stephen Colbert Who 'Hey Stephen' Is Really About
Stephen Colbert and Trevor Noah to Mark One-Year 'Quaranniversaries' With Specials
Barack Obama Slams Trump Administration's 'Shambolic' Response to Coronavirus Crisis on Colbert Show
For the 2020-21 season, “Late Show” has solidly maintained a strong ratings lead over NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” “Late Show” is averaging 3.1 million viewers a week, compared to 1.8 million for “Kimmel” and 1.5 million for “Tonight Show.” In the adults 18-49 demographic, the margin is much thinner with Colbert drawing about 449,000 while Kimmel and Fallon are pulling in about 346,000.
The steady ratings performance of “Late Show” this season has helped answer the question of whether Colbert’s audience would drop significantly after President Donald Trump left office, given that viewership took off after the Trump era began. In the 2019-20 season “Late Show” averaged 3.4 million viewers.
There’s no word yet about guests for the April 28 edition of “The Late Show.” Biden is set to deliver his address to a joint session of Congress during primetime hours. Tradition calls for a newly elected President to address both chambers in the spring in lieu of a State of the Union message in January.
“The Late Show” is executive produced by Colbert, Chris Licht, Tom Purcell and Jon Stewart.
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
