What Stephen Colbert says about Trump as opening night nears

“I wanted to give them something as the summer went on”, said Colbert of the shorts he’s posted online, including one that mocked Trump’s presidential announcement. It was a command performance, one which hints at good things to come when The Late Show with Stephen Colbert debuts September 8.

He’s already got great guests lined up. When a reporter asked if the show’s format would follow the typical monologue-set piece-guest-guest-musical act format, Colbert replied, “That would be boring”. “I’m thrilled to have him on”, says Colbert.

On his first Late Show guest, George Clooney: “I wish I could have done better than George Clooney, but he’ll do for the first guest”. I mean, how many celebrities have their own spy satellite? “That’s theology. I want to get to the religion”. After K.Dot was the last musical performer ever on The Colbert Report, Stephen is going for some continuity by tapping Kendrick to be the first performer on his new gig as well. “I’m looking forward to being sincerely interested in what they have to say without having to translate it through an idiot’s mouth”. “But I love artists, whether they’re actors or musicians”.

He’ll do several test shows in late August, including a mix of interviews with authors, entertainers, musicians and politicians, improvised comedy and other elements he’s not ready to reveal.

“I like intellectuals, writers, people in sports…” “I just hope he’s taking his vitamins”. At the time of this publishing, the joke has been retweeted more than 1,000 times. “I won’t know what it’s like until I’m on the board, all I can feel is the swell behind me and I’m paddling as fast as I can”. “That’s much closer to how I learned my craft”, Colbert said. Jimmy Fallon has made his mark on NBC’s “Tonight Show”, serving as a lead-in to Seth Meyers on “Late Night”. “Anyone who is interesting and has something to say” are welcome. “Fighting between the hosts doesn’t sound amusing”. Joking, “and I mean that as a compliment…it takes a lot of energy to be a blowhard!”

“CBS has asked nothing of me other than I fill an hour every night Monday through Friday”. “About 10 days before Dave went off the air, I asked if I could hang out with him”.

Before David Letterman retired, Colbert spent about an hour and a half with him, asking specific questions about how you manage doing a job like hosting “The Late Show“.

He picked the September 8 start date because that used to be the traditional start of the presidential race. “That’s what I do all day”. “Right now, I’m just Dry Trumping”, he quipped, immediately tweeting out a version of the same joke. “But we make it work”, Colbert said, adding, “Obviously those people shouldn’t be left alone”. But really, there’s nothing that you know how to do that you shouldn’t do on a show like this, because the beast is too hungry.