Clooney Was The Perfect First 'Late Show' Guest

The night we've all been waiting for has finally arrived, and here's something that made it even more exciting — George Clooney was the first guest on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. Although many of Colbert's announced guests are politicians and CEOs, which is a departure from Letterman's celeb-filled lineups, having Clooney as his first guest will hopefully give the inaugural episode a ratings advantage as he goes up against the stiff competition of late night staples Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel. Clooney is known for his sense of humor and elaborate pranks, so I was wondering if he'd have any tricks up his sleeve. But, the always charismatic and humble Clooney seemed eager to focus on Colbert and his big night. When Colbert thanked him for coming despite not having a new film to plug, Clooney told him: "I'm just here to see you, because you're a nice guy and I think that's why everyone else is here." His comment received a resounding cheer from the audience.

The actor never appeared on The Colbert Report, so it was his first time sitting across the table from Colbert. While many fans have seen Colbert hilariously interview a variety of guests in his over-the-top Republican persona, it's the first time most of us have watched him conduct an interview as himself. Still, it was just as hilarious and he immediately gave Clooney a hard time for not wearing a tie.

Although The Late Show won't be as politically focused as The Colbert Report, the host's interest in world affairs still shined through, as one of the first things he wanted to discuss with Clooney was his work in Darfur. "I'm not responsible for policy," Clooney explained, noting that Jeb Bush can handle that later, "but I can bring attention to it and put it on the map."

They went on to discuss Clooney's recent marriage and Colbert teasingly referred to him as Amal Clooney's "arm candy" — then he gave him a belated wedding gift, after belaboring the point that he wasn't invited to the ceremony:

Clooney was quick to note his surprise that the paperweight is real Tiffany's — to which Colbert was eager to point out that he can afford the designer label now that he's on a major network. The gift was funny but also super sweet, because it was an expression of Colbert's gratitude that Clooney made an appearance on his first episode despite having no project to push.

Of course, the pair had to conclude the interview by making up a project for Clooney to promote called Decision Strike and showing some extremely dramatized previews:

One interview down, and it was a complete success. I loved seeing Clooney support Colbert and help give his new show a memorable kick-off. I hope he comes back soon (whether he has a film to plug or not), because they played off each other perfectly.

Image: Giphy