CBS will get a chance to test Stephen Colbert out before its audience a little sooner than some expected. The Colbert Report host will host the 2014 Kennedy Center Honors next month.
Colbert will help toast a stunning 2014 Kennedy Center Honors class, which includes actor Tom Hanks, comedian Lily Tomlin, singer/songwriter Sting, soul legend Al Green and ballerina Patricia McBride.
“I am stunned to be receiving a Kennedy Center Honor at such a young age. I thought it would be years before,” Colbert joked in a statement. “I'm sorry. I’m being told I am HOSTING the Kennedy Center Honors. Oh... Well, I'm glad. That makes a lot more sense.”
“Stephen Colbert's creative and comedic genius is admired from Hollywood to New York to Washington, D.C.,” Jack Sussman, a CBS executive VP, added. “We're thrilled to have him lend his showmanship, wit and immeasurable talents to this year's The Kennedy Center Honors.”
The ceremony is produced by George Stevens, Jr. and Michael Stevens.
CBS named Colbert as David Letterman’s successor to The Late Show in April. He will keep the show in New York at the Ed Sullivan Theater. Colbert only has a few more episodes of The Colbert Report left this year and he’ll take over The Late Show next year. An exact date for the transition hasn’t been set.
The Kennedy Center Honors will air on CBS on Tuesday, Dec. 30.
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