It can be difficult to stay positive in the wake of a major work transition, leaving a job that has defined a career for years. Stephen Colbert, the longtime host of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, is wrapping up his 11-year run this Thursday—and his handling of the departure is inspiring CNN analyst Brian Stelter, who calls him a leader and professional.
“He’s been choosing to be so positive, he’s radiated gratitude,” Stelter recently said in a panel at Fortune’s Workplace Innovation Summit with editor Indrani Sen, adding that Colbert has operated under the mindset that “‘I’d rather be grateful for the time I had on air than be angry that it’s ending.’”
Colbert took over The Late Show in September 2015, replacing David Letterman, who had hosted the CBS franchise for 22 years, and has anchored the 11:35 p.m. slot ever since. Over more than a decade behind the desk, he became the No. 1 host at 11:30 p.m. for nine straight years, and his run was capped by a long-elusive industry honor: in September 2025, The Late Show won its first Emmy for Outstanding Talk Series, beating Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Daily Show—the first broadcast late-night show to win the category since it was created in 2015.
