On Thursday afternoon, the news broke that Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert would make the move to CBS to fill David Letterman's empty seat in 2015. By Thursday night, Colbert and a couple of his pals took to their respective shows to chime in on the late-night shakeup.
"Late Show's" next host started off with a tribute to the man he's set to replace.
"I am going to miss this good man," Colbert said of Letterman. "Dave has been on the air my entire adult life — 'Late Night' debuted my first year in college. I learned more from watching Dave than I did from going to my classes. Especially the ones I did not go to because I had stayed up until 1:30 watching Dave."
Colbert went on to say the Letterman influenced all of the hosts who've hit the air since he first found fame "and even a few who came before him; he's that good."
In fact, Letterman's so good, Colbert expressed sympathy for the person who takes the veteran talker's chair — himself.
"Folks, those are some huge shoes to fill," he said before gesturing toward Letterman's Worldwide Pants production logo and adding, "and some really big pants."
While Colbert looked toward a future beyond his Comedy Central show, "The Colbert Report," over on the "Daily Show," Jon Stewart looked back at the host who got his late-night start by his side.
"You may remember a few years back there was a gentleman on this program by the name of Stephen Colbert," Stewart said, calling his friend a "very talented actor, writer, dancer (and) improvisational comedian."
After playing highlights from Colbert's early days, Stewart celebrated the "Late Show" shift.
"The exciting news today is I no longer need a cable subscription for the privilege of watching Stephen Colbert," he added.
"The Tonight Show's" Jimmy Fallon had an announcement of his own Thursday.
"Starting in 2015, I will be the new host of 'The Colbert Report' on Comedy Central," Fallon joked.
He went on to congratulate Colbert, with whom he's shared a few mock battles with in the past — including one involving their dueling Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavors (Colbert's Americone Dream versus Fallon's Late Night Snack). But if anyone is expecting a late-night war when they go head-to-head on broadcast next year, they've got another think coming.
"I just want to say there's not going to be any war," Fallon insisted. "It'll be a dance-off!"
And when Colbert and Fallon dance, everyone wins.