New "Late Show" Host Stephen Colbert (Almost) Passes Pittsburgh Test
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- It's been about three and a half months since David Letterman retired from "The Late Show."
But Tuesday night, on KDKA, it's the beginning of a new chapter with a new host.
KDKA's Susan Koeppen and Ken Rice got the chance to visit with the new guy, Stephen Colbert, and brought a few gifts, including a Terrible Towel and a Steelers jersey. They found him to be easy-going and down to earth, but also eager to get his new gig going.
Rice: "We could not be more delighted to be visiting with Stephen Colbert. Stephen, we have something for you."
Colbert: "Thank you, Ken. What do we got there?"
Rice: "It's a Colbert jersey, but it's not for you just yet. You have to earn this Colbert jersey, with a '2' for Channel 2, KDKA."
Colbert: "Oh right. Generally speaking, I like to have something that has the number one on it."
Rice: "Right, but you understand why we went with the '2.'"
Colbert: "Because you're No. 2?"
Rice: "The channel, the channel is 2."
Colbert: "The channel is number one."
Koeppen: "The channel is number one."
Colbert: "But you're technically number '2.'"
Koeppen: "Right."
With that out of the way, it was time to see if Colbert will have a feel for you, the Pittsburgh viewer. What does he know about us, anyway?
Besides, of course, this: "People in Pittsburgh are intelligent and physically attractive," said Colbert with a wink. "Now, ask your questions."
We quizzed him. Just the basics.
Like this, for one:
Koeppen: "If served a salad topped with French fries, do you a) send it back because there must be some sort of mistake; b) remove the fries and eat them separately; or c) respect fries as a vegetable, and eat them and enjoy."
Colbert: "C."
Koeppen: "You got it."
Rice: "You are correct."
Koeppen: "That would be the Pittsburgh salad."
Colbert: "I also accept frozen waffles as vegetables, by the way. As a parent, that's the vegetables I've been serving my children."
He did almost well enough to win the jersey, but we were nice.
"I got one, one out of three," said Colbert. "One out of three, that's the standard for Channel 2! Sixty percent of our news, we're not sure about!"
"I will wear this with pride - under my suit on chilly days," Colbert added.
Stephen Colbert comes to CBS after an Emmy-winning run on Comedy Central.
But we discovered that long before that, he first became a familiar face to the people of… Omaha? That's right, in a commercial for First Tier Bank of Nebraska.
"That's the only commercial I think I got out of 11 years in Chicago," said Colbert. "There are lot of ad agencies in Chicago, and I was a young actor in Chicago. I could not get arrested, I couldn't get any commercial, I'm so glad, 'cause now you only have one clip to show."
Stay with KDKA for more with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday night at 11 p.m., right before his big debut as "The Late Show" host on CBS.
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