The Late Late Show

When it was announced that Stephen Colbert was replacing David Letterman, obviously I was kinda sad. I mean, I still remember the days back in my senior year of high school when I had the luxury to watch The Colbert Report on TV every weeknight. Even now, I still watch clips on his website every so often. But I wasn't terribly upset to hear that the show was ending, because in a way I felt like it was a good time for Colbert to retire the character and move on.

For some reason, I reacted to today's news of Craig Ferguson's departure from The Late Late Show with a lot more sadness. His humor really isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I've spent hours on Youtube just watching his interviews with his celebrity guests. I first discovered him when I stumbled upon a series of interviews in which he and my rock goddess idol Shirley Manson bonded over their Scottish heritage. From there, I've cracked up over countless interviews, such as he and James McAvoy's "Vortex of Scottish Charm."

My favorite clip though is the one I've embedded into this clip, when he explains his past history of alcoholism and why he refuses to make fun of Britney Spears. It's a really impressive balance of humor and gravity about an issue that has always bothered me about celebrity culture. I still remember my mixed feelings about the Internet reaction to Anna Nicole Smith's death, which Craig Ferguson touches on in this monologue.