When Stephen Colbert takes over CBS’s “Late Show,” he’ll face a large popularity gap compared to outgoing host David Letterman.
Letterman, who retired as the longtime “Late Show” host on May 20, is four times more popular than Colbert among adults 18-29, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll.
The poll showed that when asked to name their “favorite late-night television talk show host of all time,” 8 percent of these young adults named Letterman. Only 2 percent named Colbert.
One possible reason for the discrepancy is that Letterman is on network TV, which tends to have a larger audience than cable channels. Colbert hosted “The Colbert Report” on Comedy Central from 2005 to 2014, and the last episode was in December.
Another reason for the popularity gap may be that Letterman’s brand of comedy has a broader appeal, whereas Colbert’s was satirical and appealed to a more politically engaged audience.
Colbert officially takes over the “Late Show” in September.
