Anderson Cooper makes history as his 20th visit to Stephen Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ puts him on the brink of a guest record.NH
Anderson Cooper is about to join one of the most elite clubs in all of late night.
On Wednesday night, the CNN anchor will sit down for his 20th interviewon The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, extending a late-night relationship that spans nearly two decades.
Cooper’s 20th visit as a billed guest puts him just one appearance behind Colbert’s most frequent guest, John Oliver, who logged his 21st appearance last month. Oliver still holds a commanding lead overall, thanks to more than a dozen additional cameos over the years. (He also holds the title of late-night TV’s most frequent guest, having appeared 69 times across the major shows.)
With his 20th Late Show interview, Cooper edges past Bernie Sanders and CBS News’ John Dickerson, both credited with 19 official visits. (Each has also made one unannounced drop-in over the years.)
The CNN anchor’s connection with Colbert dates back to The Colbert Report, where he guested twice early in his career.
Wednesday’s visit will mark Cooper’s first sit-down interview with Colbert since CBS announced The Late Show’s cancellation. Cooper paid tribute on CNN at the time, saying, “I’ve had the pleasure and honor of being a guest on Late Night [sic] with Stephen Colbert more times than I can count, and I just wanted to take a minute and say how shocked and truly saddened I am by the news that this show will be cancelled,” said Cooper. “Stephen Colbert is smart and he is funny, and he has actual conversations with people on his program.”
Cooper later made a surprise cameo in the days after the show’s cancellation, joining fellow late-night hosts for an Ed Sullivan Theater “kiss cam” moment that quickly went viral.
Cooper’s connection to the franchise predates Colbert entirely — he appeared 14 times on Late Show with David Letterman between 2005 and 2015.
Anderson Cooper’s 20th Late Show interview airs tonight, October 15, on CBS. Actor Mason Thames is also scheduled to appear.
