LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Stephen Colbert will debut as the new host of CBS Corp's "Late Show," on Sept. 8, the U.S. broadcast television network said on Monday.
Colbert, 50, takes over the late-night TV talk show from David Letterman, who will retire after his final broadcast on May 20.
"I have nine months to make a show, just like a baby. So first, I should find out how you make a baby," Colbert said in a statement.
The comedian is best known for playing a satirical conservative personality on Comedy Central's Emmy-winning faux news show "The Colbert Report," which finished its nine-year run last month. He was named Letterman's successor in April last year.
Colbert has said he will drop the popular character for the "Late Show," which goes head-to-head against Jimmy Fallon's "The Tonight Show" on NBC and ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"
Letterman's departure after 21 years as host of CBS's "Late Show" marks a generational break on network late-night television following Jay Leno's departure from "The Tonight Show" last year.
Fallon and Kimmel have departed from the traditional talk show model with gags and skits designed in part to court younger audiences and day-after views on video sharing websites like Google Inc's YouTube.
(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; editing by Patricia Reaney, G Crosse)