Former Daily Show host Jon Stewart is set to join The Late Show with Stephen Colbert during its live coverage of the Republican National Convention this week in what could be part of a push to boost the CBS late-night program’s disastrous ratings.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Stewart will join Colbert on his program during its live coverage this week and will appear on the show Monday. It was not immediately clear how often or in what role Stewart would participate on the CBS flagship late-night program.
As Breitbart News previously reported, Colbert is set for two full weeks of live coverage beginning with the Republican National Convention this week and continuing with the Democratic convention in Philadelphia later this month.
Colbert will remain at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York while Late Show correspondents will be on the ground in Cleveland and in Philadelphia. Special guests planned for the two-week live coverage reportedly include Sen. Elizabeth Warren, actors Keegan-Michael Key and Jeff Daniels, fellow late-night host John Oliver and former Congressman Anthony Weiner.
The move to add Stewart to the proceedings could be an attempt to shake The Late Show out of its months-long ratings slump, which hit a new low in June with Colbert’s lowest-rated week ever.
Colbert regularly finishes third in the late-night wars behind NBC’s Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, though Late Show did edge Kimmel for a stretch in late June.
But Colbert has struggled to find his footing since taking over for David Letterman late last year. The former Colbert Report host can’t compete with Jimmy Fallon’s viral video content, which regularly attracts millions of eyeballs with light-hearted segments like news “slow-jams” or the celebrity-filled “Ew!” Instead, Colbert’s online content often goes viral for its political controversy, as it did when the host drew a swastika on a chalkboard last month to connect presidential contender Donald Trump to Nazism.
Colbert also failed to earn an Emmy nomination this year, after racking up 41 nominations and seven wins during his tenure on the Colbert Report.
Stewart’s appearance on Late Show will ensure the former Comedy Central standout gets to weigh in on presidential politics during this year’s highly-charged election cycle, though the duo will face stiff competition from several late-night competitors who will also offer live coverage of the conventions, including HBO’s Bill Maher, TBS’ Samantha Bee and current Daily Show host Trevor Noah.
Follow Daniel Nussbaum on Twitter: @dznussbaum
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