David Letterman offers a quick take on each late-night host: Stephen Colbert has "harnessed the political energy of the country and done a great job"

The Hollywood Reporter

Letterman called his Late Show successor "fantastic" in an extensive interview with The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast. "He has taken that show and harnessed the political energy of the country and done a great job," Letterman says of Colbert. Jimmy Fallon? "Jimmy is doing something else, but doing a great job at it." Jimmy Kimmel? "Kimmel is Mr. Everyman. I'm very fond of Jimmy, been on his show a couple of times. I like him. He's genuine, and he knows when to make a point of things that are not right in this country." James Corden? "I see him singing and dancing and stuff, and God bless him." Seth Meyers? "Also a smart kid, and I've been on his show, and he does a very nice job. I think he's right where you want to be. These are troubled times, and I think he is navigating them nicely intellectually." Trevor Noah? "He does a great job, and also he wrote a book that became a textbook. You may have noticed, I haven't done that." Samantha Bee? "She is one of those people that not only has a television show, but through the television show and how she conducts herself has become an activist, and you have to admire that." Conan O'Brien? "How can you not like Conan O'Brien? The longest-running current late-night host, and a very smart and very funny guy. I love Conan."