Stephen Colbert may be saying goodbye to “The Late Show” next year — though not by choice — but before he does that, he’ll have an entirely new late night talk show on CBS. Well, kind of.
Colbert will guest star on an episode of the CBS series “Elsbeth” next season, TheWrap has confirmed. In it, he’ll stick to what he knows, playing a fictional late night host named Scotty Bristol, who hosts “Way Late With Scotty Bristol.” It’s unclear exactly when Colbert’s episode will air, but the new season of “Elsbeth” premieres on October 12, and he has already filmed his appearance.
“Elsbeth” is a murder mystery series starring Carrie Preston as the eponymous crime-solver. It’s unclear exactly how Colbert’s character will fit into the story, but typically, the series welcomes a guest star — previously including legends like Nathan Lane, Keegan-Michael Key, Laura Benanti, Matthew Broderick, Retta and more — as someone closely connected to the murder of the week.
It seems Colbert wrangled this role for himself as, back in February, he discussed the possibility of appearing on the show with series star Wendell Pierce. At the time, Colbert admitted he wants “to be a corpse on one of these shows.”
“I can make that happen,” Pierce replied. “I know a guy who knows a guy. We can get you on.”
There is, of course, a layer of irony to Colbert portraying a fictional late night host on a CBS series, considering it is the same network that is ending his real-life late night series next year.
CBS declined to comment on Colbert’s guest appearance on “Elsbeth.”
Vulture first reported the news.
