Stephen Colbert Kept Cool After Howard Stern Harshly Asked About CBS' Plan To Replace Him With James Corden

Stephen Colbert has been praised for his respectful conduct toward female guests. Although there was that time he made Serena Williams uncomfortable after toasting against her religion, The Late Show host has established himself as the complete opposite of his pal, Howard Stern. So when Stephen came on the latter's show in 2018, fans were curious how he'd respond to the host's shock value questions.

Howard didn't hold back on grilling Stephen. The Sirius XM broadcaster immediately asked the late-night star about his ratings. It then led to him bringing up rumors that The Late Late Show's James Corden was replacing the David Letterman successor. But Stephen didn't give in to the bait. James — apparently CBS' most unpopular late show host — had also denied the speculations, two years before the interview. Here's what happened between the three.

Stephen Colbert Refused To Entertain Howard Stern's Attempt To Pit Him Against James Corden

Stephen Colbert Professionally Denied Rumors Of James Corden Replacing Him On The Late Show

When Stephen went on The Howard Stern Show in 2018, the host said right away, "It is such a public thing with the ratings," to which the guest laughed, saying, "You got there really fast." It set the tone for the interview that eventually escalated to CBS' rumored plans for James to replace Stephen on The Late Show. "You know you came on the air, CBS is pinning a lot of hopes and dreams," said Howard.

He added: "You've got this great reputation. Everyone goes, 'Oh, Stephen's the smartest and the funniest.' The next thing you know a couple of months later, all of a sudden, Stephen's out; James Corden is going to be the new [Late Show] host and then James Corden had to deny it, and say they're not going to swap out times."

Stephen knew Howard was trying to trigger him. He then became serious after laughing at the host's comments about his poor ratings early on The Late Show. The comedian revealed that CBS never had plans to replace him with James. "They said the exact opposite, like that is not going to happen," he said, noting that "it doesn't make sense because you've just invested a lot of money in this guy... It's not impossible [but] I think it would have to take years of not delivering for that to happen."

Howard changed the course of the conversation by complimenting Stephen on creating a "force" of a show. According to the former, his guest found his footing when he "identified the number one thing that a late-night host has to be really up on, which is that water cooler conversation." The latter then shared that The Late Show's ratings improved when they focused on the following:

• What is everybody talking about?
• What are people worried about today?
• What are people excited [about]?

After struggling with ratings from 2015 to 2016, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert started to top late-night ratings in 2017, putting its rival, Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon in second place in the next seasons.

James Corden Told Howard Stern He Wasn't Replacing Stephen Colbert On The Late Show

James Corden Didn't Think It Made Sense To Take Over The Late Show

In 2016, James went on The Howard Stern Show where he slammed rumors of him taking over The Late Show. "Firstly, and I genuinely mean this, I’m not being coy in any way, that's never gonna happen," the English comedian said. At that time, The Late Late Show's Carpool Karaoke had started to become a hit. The Cats alum said "these shows always take a while to find their feet," clarifying that his newfound success didn't mean he was coming for Stephen's throne.

"Now we've been very lucky, because we were starting from a point of zero, and we didn't know that on show two we'd put Carpool Karaoke out and it would become what it’s become," Corden said of his privileged position. "Or show one, when we did the movie thing with Tom Hanks. It just feels archaic to me to even talk about it. It's [replacing Colbert] never gonna happen."

James also cited a few reasons that made the rumors "far-fetched":

Stephen Colbert And Howard Stern Are On Good Terms Despite Previous Harsh Interview

Stephen Colbert Called Howard Stern The "Best Interviewer" Despite Being Ratings-Obsessed

Stephen and Howard have remained friends over the years, despite the latter's harsh questions about James replacing the former. In 2019, Stephen said Howard was "the best interviewer I've ever been interviewed by," during the latter's visit on The Late Show.

​​​​​​​

Stern called their "heavy discussion" a "serious" bonding moment.

The host even told his guest: "An hour and a half with you is incredibly enjoyable because your research is extraordinary... Almost every one of your questions was different than any other question I've gotten before."

Howard Stern and Stephen Colbert bonded over their "difficult" experiences growing up with depressed mothers.

​​​​​​​During their sit-down, Stephen also reflected on his previous visit to The Howard Stern Show. "Why are you putting the poison in my ear?" he remembered thinking when Howard kept asking him about his ratings. The latter then revealed that even his therapist called him out for his "vicious" obsession with ratings.

​​​​​​​