How Late-Night Hosts Reacted to Colbert's 'Late Show' Gig

April 11, 2014 -- CBS announced Thursday that Emmy-winning host Stephen Colbert would be succeeding David Letterman as the host of CBS's "The Late Show." Not surprisingly, some of the other late-night hosts, obviously fans of both funnymen, took no time to comment on the changing late-night landscape.

"The exciting news today is I'll no longer need a cable subscription for the privilege of seeing Stephen Colbert," Colbert's former colleague Jon Stewart said of Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report.”

First describing Letterman as "the comedian broadcaster who is the best there ever was," Stewart said of Colbert, "there is no greater job in seeing a genuinely good man, who works as hard as he can...and deserves all the success in the world, actually get that success. So for Stephen, we're just thrilled."

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Jimmy Kimmel, host of ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," also welcomed Colbert to late-night network TV via Twitter, saying of Colbert "a finer or funnier man I do not know."

At the opening of "The Tonight Show," Jimmy Fallon introduced himself to the crowd saying he had a "big announcement" to share. "Starting in 2015, I will be the new host of ‘The Colbert Report’ on Comedy Central," he joked.

"Of course I want to say congratulations to our pal Stephen Colbert," Fallon said of the host, who appeared in a cameo on Fallon's first "Tonight Show" in March, describing Colbert as, "very funny and a good friend."

Fallon then said the media has been hinting of a "new late-night war," considering all the show changes. "I just want to say there's not going to be any war. It'll be a dance-off."

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At the open of his "Late Late Show," Craig Ferguson welcomed the "lovely Stephen Colbert," calling him "a welcome addition to the CBS cavalcade of stars."

NBC "Late Night" host Seth Meyers called Colbert "one of the nicest people I've ever met," and a "perfect replacement" for Letterman. Meyers also joked that now that Colbert is coming up, he's the new "new guy."

Meyers joked, "For the last two months, I've been the newest person to take over a talk show. When you're the last person to take over a talk show, you get hazed relentlessly... Like, I have to get Jimmy Kimmel coffee -- and he lives in Los Angeles ... So I'm so psyched that Stephen will be the 'new guy' and I can join in on the hazing."