Stephen Colbert cops to Late Show missteps, including “being nice” to Donald Trump

Stephen Colbert’s incarnation of The Late Show has experienced some turbulence in its brief tenure. After a strong opening, the CBS program has fallen behind Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show, and competes closely for third-place against with Jimmy Kimmel Live! In a recent New York Times interview, Colbert admits to having made some mistakes, including being reluctant to bring back “Stephen Colbert,” and being so nice to Donald Trump.
The first phase of a reboot started back in April, with the positioning of Late Show showrunner Chris Licht to handle all of the logistical challenges. Surprisingly, that position had not existed prior to Colbert (and probably says a lot about Letterman’s experience and omnipotence). Licht’s ability to run interference allowed the host to focus on sharpening the show, including July’s seismic event–the return of “Stephen Colbert,” the faux-conservative pundit and former host of Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report.