AFTER HOURS: IS LATE NIGHT TV GETTING MORE POLITICAL?

Will America tune in to Letterman heir and avowed lefty Stephen Colbert? Host John Phillips is joined by guests Tammy Bruce, Leo Terrell and Scott Ott to discuss the new reality in late night TV.  And don't miss the latest Underwood Award! 



Bill O'Reilly Versus Stephen Colbert

Fox News's Bill O'Reilly is often the target of Stephen Colbert's humor – and lately, Colbert's jabs have begun to sting.

Mr. O'Reilly, clearly angry at Colbert, seems to have become somewhat consumed by him as well. For example, on a recent program O'Reilly referred to Colbert as a "deceiver," an "ideological fanatic" who is "misguided in the extreme" and "clueless" but "the guy does damage." He "gives cover to powerful people who are selling Americans a big lie."

Subtle.

But it didn't stop there. When it was announced that Colbert will replace David Letterman next year, O'Reilly weighed in against his nemesis again, saying, "Colbert has built an entire career on pleasing the left." O'Reilly said Colbert will have difficulty going up against "high energy guys who want to have a good time on their shows" (NBC's Jimmy Fallon and ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel).

"It'd be hard to imagine that 40 percent of Americans who describe themselves as conservative will watch Colbert and that's a lot of folks to lose from the jump," O'Reilly said. "But Colbert will have good writers and surely he knows his challenge. Place your bets now."

Appearing on ABC's The View, O'Reilly said Colbert is a "mouthpiece for the far left," a person who "snipes" and makes "these little snarky remarks."

Also read: Nice Guy Finishes First: Why Jimmy Fallon will win the next late-night TV battle