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Stephen Colbert Talks Letterman, Trump and New ‘Late Show’

Trying to boost his muted campaign, Jeb Bush took hard hits at Hillary Rodham Clinton on Tuesday and got booked on the first “Late Show” with Stephen Colbert. “That was in some way the most energetic, the most exciting part of the show for me. We have fun with each other all day long” while producing the show. “They liked the show I used to do and asked, would you mind doing another 120 hours a year?”

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Real Stephen won’t be as “actively ignorant” as was The Colbert Report Stephen, and is looking forward to interviewing guests “without having to translate it through an idiot’s mouth”. Bush tweeted, using the hashtag for Colbert’s show.

Colbert said he choose George Clooney for his first guest “because he’s a brilliant actor and a great director, and he cares about the world”.

Colbert then spoke about how – because of his improv comedy training – interviewing guests became his favorite thing to do on the Colbert Report. “I’m incredibly grateful and I had a chance to tell him how grateful I was for his example, for what he did for comedians for my generation, no matter what they were going to do”. What viewers could not hear when the other returning correspondents joined him on stage after that emotional exchange with Stewart, was them all chanting, “Made Him Cry!” He doesn’t know exactly how his show will shape up until he does it, but he doesn’t feel competition with Jimmy Fallon, who he calls a friend, or Jimmy Kimmel.

Once he’s done the Trump jokes, he said, he expects the biggest reward from his new gig is that “it will free me to be myself”.

Colbert further elaborated that it was time to drop the character as he felt he had done everything he could do with him and with his older show.

During a press tour this week, Colbert said he is eager to start the new show, and tell some political jokes.

But the CBS funnyman says his new role isn’t without some nerves: “If you’re not a little anxious, you’re not taking it seriously enough”.

“And I’m so happy that little boy is Donald Trump”. “So, no, I’m going to go “no” on boring”.

“My last musical guest [on The Colbert Report] was Kendrick Lamar, and I’d love for him to be my first musical guest”, Colbert said.

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Plus, Colbert explains, audiences already know who the “real” Stephen Colbert is.

Stephen Colbert hopes 'little boy' Donald Trump stays in race