The “Late show” will have a new face, but historic Ed Sullivan Theater will remain its home.
New York State and CBS Wednesday announced that the “Late Show with Stephen Colbert” will remain in The Big Apple when the comedian takes over for David Letterman, who announced in April that he’d retire after hosting the show for 21 years. One week after Letterman’s on-air announcement, CBS said it agreed to a five-year deal with Colbert to take over the show.
Colbert, the host of Comedy Central’s widely-popular satire show, “The Colbert Report,” in which he plays a conservative blowhard, will takeover in 2015. CBS has yet to reveal the date of Letterman’s last show.
“We’re thrilled to continue broadcasting CBS’s ‘Late Show’ from New York and call the Ed Sullivan Theater its home,” said CBS President Leslie Moonves. “David Letterman has graced this hall and city with comedy and entertainment that defined a generation.
“When Dave decides to pass the baton next year, we look forward to welcoming Stephen Colbert, one of the most innovative and respected forces on TV, to this storied television theater.”
The agreement includes a commitment from CBS of 200 New York-based jobs to support the show’s year-round schedule.
CBS will be eligible to receive $11 million in tax credits as part of deal. Also, the state will provide CBS with a $5 million grant to offset renovations of Ed Sullivan Theater.
The state in recent years has enticed large film productions to the state by offering generous tax breaks under the New York State Film Production Tax Credit program, which started in 2004. For some productions, the tax credit can be as high as 30 percent. The largest ever production in the state was “Amazing Spider Man 2,” which filmed for nine months at Grumman Studios and Gold Coast Studios in Bethpage.
The state also lured NBC’s “The Tonight Show” to New York from California when its current host, Jimmy Fallon, replaced Jay Leno.
