After months of feverish anticipation, Stephen Colbert finally made his debut as the new host of CBS' The Late Show. Many wondered how Colbert would fare without the conservative parody persona he played to perfection on Comedy Central for almost a decade.
So how did the new straight-laced Colbert fare? Here's what the internet is saying.
Many seemed torn over Colbert's opening segment, which saw him take shots at Donald Trump, everyone's favorite punching bag at the moment.
"I promise you, just like the rest of the media, I will be covering all of the presidential candidates...who are Donald Trump." He then proceeded to compare the real estate mogul to tray of Oreos that you just can't get enough of.
No matter what else happens tonight, this will be my favorite moment. #Colbert pic.twitter.com/uZqc15uvF5
— Johanna Fuentes (@jfuentes) September 9, 2015
Twitter seemed to enjoy this bit.
Stephen Colbert Absolutely Destroyed/Demolished/Eviscerated Donald Trump In His “Late Show” Debut [VIDEO] — Hunter Schwarz (@hunterschwarz) September 9, 2015
But some critics weren't so crazy about it. The Guardian's Bryan Moylan said:
'Likening Trump jokes to Oreos and junk food, Colbert allowed himself to tell a whole series of them, only to point out that there has to be something better to talk about – that these anecdotes are just empty calories. It was all a bit disingenuous – like having your cake and eating your Oreos too.'
The first interview with George Clooney was a little awkward, as both seemed to banter on about nothing.
His interview with republican presidential hopeful Jeb Bush was definitely a step above, and felt the most like his old gig.
Overall, it wasn't a complete homerun, but it wasn't a terrible either. It wouldn't be fair to give an overall grade after just one show. Colbert's roster of guests this week includes some unusual choices like Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Uber boss Travis Kalanick so the best may be yet to come.
