Stephen Colbert will host a live edition of “The Late Show” on Feb. 28, the night of President Trump’s address to Congress.
Colbert has done 14 live telecasts since taking over the “Late Show” in September 2015. The move to go live after Trump’s first address to a joint session of Congress is a bid to capitalize on the public’s interest in the unpredictable political climate and to build on “Late Show’s” ratings momentum.
“Late Show” has in the past two weeks overtaken NBC’s “The Tonight Show” for the lead in total viewership, and it has closed much of the gap in the adult 18-49 demo race. Colbert has been laser-focused on biting political humor and the daily doings of the Trump administration, which to date has been a ripe source of material.
Colbert’s guests on Feb. 28 will include actress Lisa Kudrow and former Obama White House press secretary Josh Earnest.
“Late Show’s” previous live broadcasts were also rooted around political events. The show went live in July for the Republican and Democratic presidential nominating conventions and for the presidential debates between Trump and Hillary Clinton in September and October. Colbert also hosted a live election-night special on Nov. 8 for CBS’ sibling network Showtime.
