A week ago, we learned that Felix Kjellberg, the gamer who makes YouTube videos under the name PewDiePie, would appear on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Sure enough, we turned on the TV on October 1st, and there he was. The ultra-popular Swede sat down with Colbert to chat about the success he’s seen online.
Anyone who has heard PewDiePie talk to the media knows he is eloquent and charming. The only question surrounding his Late Show appearance concerned the tone Colbert would adopt in interviewing a YouTube star. One of his late night competitors, Jimmy Kimmel, recently came under fire for belittling YouTube’s Let’s Play community (of which PewDiePie is a member) during a segment on his show.
Compared to Kimmel, Colbert brought a completely different attitude to his discussion of Let’s Play videos. He was respectful toward PewDiePie and cognizant of the manner in which online video is shifting viewing priorities among young consumers. At the same time, he was not afraid to poke fun at his guest’s occupation. When PewDiePie likened his videos to “sitting with a friend on the couch,” Colbert quipped, “and your friend will never give you the controller.”
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The full segment with PewDiePie is not available on The Late Show’s official channel, but several YouTube users have uploaded their own ersatz versions, which, at the time of this post, CBS has not yet claimed.
Colbert’s reverent-yet-playful tone matches the one James Corden (whose show airs after Colbert’s) used when he interviewed YouTube stars on his program. If CBS is trying to set a standard for how TV hosts should treat digital media stars, I’m all for it, and other personalities (looking at you, Kimmel) would be wise to take note.
