Stephen Colbert wants women to know that his late-night show is for them
"I'm here for you, and that means I'm going to do my best to create a 'Late Show' that not only appeals to women but also celebrates their voices," Colbert writes in a recent essay for Glamour Magazine. "I'm going to make a show that truly respects women."
Assuming the blowhard personality that endeared him to audiences on the "Colbert Report," David Letterman's successor also addressed his competition on the late-night circuit.
"Sure, the other hosts bring the eye candy. Jimmy Fallon has a boyish charm, and for the ladies who are into ladies, if you squint, Jimmy Kimmel kind of looks like a rugged Mila Kunis," Colbert writes. "But female viewers need more than a pretty face. They need someone who will represent their voice."
Colbert touched on gender inequality issues as well, calling the world of late-night TV a "sausagefest" and saying woman deserve pay commensurate with their skill set.
But while Colbert says he wants his show to better represent woman, he admits that he alone cannot stop gender inequality:
"My point is this," Colbert writes. "Why does this gender inequality still persist, and how can we stop it? I don't have all the answers. And frankly, it's sexist of you to think I do just because I'm a man. C'mon!"
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert premieres September 8.