Conan O’Brien
Following runs on Saturday Night Live and NBC's Late Night With Conan O'Brien — and a brief stint at The Tonight Show — O'Brien has been a fixture of TBS' late-night lineup. His contract expires in November 2015.
Following runs on Saturday Night Live and NBC's Late Night With Conan O'Brien — and a brief stint at The Tonight Show — O'Brien has been a fixture of TBS' late-night lineup. His contract expires in November 2015.
Timing is everything. And Letterman's upcoming retirement comes just days after word broke that Handler would not be staying with E! past her current contract ending in 2014. She's no stranger to talk, has a slew of A-list celebrity friends to make booking easy and, of the female candidates, seems like one of the stronger choices.
Comedy Central looked to the geek god to host its late-night series @midnight, capitalizing on his cult following. With a knack for social media, the series earned a quick renewal for 40 more weeks of episodes. Not to be outdone, Hardwick has also hosted live talk shows for AMC pegged to monster hits The Walking Dead and Breaking Bad.
The host of ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live has held his own against increased competition in the 11:35 p.m. slot. He recently told TV Guide magazine that he'd "definitely consider" taking over for Letterman.
The outspoken comedian tried his hand in the late-night space for FX with Brand X. The mix of talk show and stand-up comedy opened in June 2012 and ran for two seasons before FX pulled the plug.
Hard as it might be to imagine the daytime host leaving her comfortable seat at The View's roundtable, Goldberg's brand of comedy seems much better suited for late night. She's also shown interest in her own show before, toplining a self-titled syndicated talker in the '90s.
Wooing Comedy Central's Daily Show host over to a Big Four talker would be the ultimate get. Stewart's unbeatable ratings track record with the advertiser's chosen adults 18-49 demographic makes him an easy sell, and his whip-smart take on current events has made him something of a folk hero. The only downside: Broadcast's late-night landscape tends to shy away from politics.
The host of CBS' The Late Late Show, produced by Letterman's Worldwide Pants banner, would seem like the heir apparent to take over the Letterman's spot, his contract with CBS running through 2014. He also is poised to host syndicated game show Celebrity Name Game.
She'll be the first one to tell you that she'd be great for the job– and she wouldn't be the only one. Griffin's wild, candid sense of humor could be polarizing, but if CBS wants to shake things up, no one would be more of a departure.
Would Seinfeld, with a resume and revenue unrivaled by most of his peers, ever commit to a regular gig on late night? Not likely. But he did pinch hit for Letterman after his heart surgery, and he'd be a force to be reckoned with.
Hall hosted syndicated The Arsenio Hall Show from 1989-1994 and revived the show, from CBS Television Distribution, last year. CBSTVD renewed the series for a second run in February, when former Tonight Show host Jay Leno stopped by to make the surprise announcement.
Like Comedy Central neighbor Jon Stewart, Colbert is a hit with the younger viewers that CBS has lacked with Letterman — but his shtick makes it a bit harder to imagine him headlining such a big vehicle.
Following his highly praised stint as a guest host for Jon Stewart's The Daily Show, Oliver landed a weekly comedy series on HBO called Last Week Tonight With John Oliver. The series premieres April 27.
The Voice host has a history in late night. Following his work as a VJ on MTV's TRL and DJ for KROQ-FM, he hosted NBC's Last Call With Carson Daly as well as New Year's Eve specials for the network. He recently joined NBC's Today as a social media correspondent.
Sure, he's already 60, but the beloved shock jock seems poised to work for the rest of his days. He's already successfully dipped his toe into the TV pool with America's Got Talent — and, after several decades on the radio, he's considered one of the best interviewers in the business.
Fringe, yes, but Maron is having something of a mitzvah these days. The comedian's devoted podcast listeners helped him score an acclaimed IFC series, and his familiarity with monologue and celebrity interviews would translate well to a talk show.
Speaking of free agents, CBS favorite Neil Patrick Harris just wrapped his decade-long stint on How I Met Your Mother. The network knows he can host, having tapped him for both the Tonys and the Emmys. And, at 40 years old, he is the perfect age to start a long tenure.