Seth Meyers will take fellow SNL alum, Jimmy Fallon’s newly empty seat as the latest host of Late Night, beginning 12:35 a.m EST Monday night, notes The Hollywood Reporter.
Meyers has already booked an all-star lineup for his big premiere week, with some help from a former SNL cast member, a Super Bowl winning quarterback and even the Vice President.
So far, NBC has displayed a smooth transition for their line-up of late night talk shows. Jay Leno hosted his final installment of The Tonight Show on February 6, with considerable ratings and enormous support from celebrities and fans. Jimmy Fallon then seamlessly slid into the seat on February 17 and kept the excitement alive, with some thanks to the viewers carried over from primetime Olympics coverage on NBC.
Now it is 40-year-old, former Saturday Night Live head writer, Seth Meyers’ turn to sit behind the desk of Late Night. While he may not be up against the same pressure Jimmy Fallon has in the 11:35 p.m. slot, Meyers is still eager to make his mark on late night television.
With past Late Night hosts like David Letterman, Conan O’Brien and Jimmy Fallon, and about $70 million a year brought in from ad revenue, Meyers knows he has a lot to live up to in his new seat. Known to be a “worrier”, he recently told The Boston Globe: “Weekend Update was a big thing to step into. SNL was a big thing to step into. I think I’ve found over the years, if you get too hung up on the legacy of what you are taking over, it gets in the way a little bit of doing the work. So our goal is just to try to do the funniest thing we can every night and get better each time out.”
Meyers will kick off the week with old pal Amy Poehler, Vice President Joe Biden, and the band A Great Big World, who has seen great success with their hit song, “Say Something”, featuring Christina Aguilera. As the week continues, Meyers will also have visits from big names, like Kanye West, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, and Lena Dunham to name a few.
Meyers’ Late Night is said to be following the traditional talk-show format, including monologues and a parade of guest interviews, but NBC has said not to expect Meyers be Jimmy Fallon 2.0. The former SNL head writer told USA Today: “We have a writing staff that has a lot of that range. They’re great writers, but they’re also really funny performers. We are going to try to use them as often as we can. In a weird way, the closest thing I’ll have to a sidekick is my writing staff and the people they’ll play.”
Late Night with Seth Meyers will premiere Monday February 24, at 12:35 a.m. on NBC. Find the full line-up for the premiere week below.
Monday, Feb. 24: Amy Poehler, Vice President Joe Biden, A Great Big World
Tuesday, Feb. 25: Kanye West, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, author Robyn Doolittle (Crazy Town: The Rob Ford Story)
Wednesday, Feb. 26: Kelly Ripa, Brad Paisley
Thursday, Feb. 27: Lena Dunham, Anthony Mackie, John Mayer Trio
Friday, Feb. 28: Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart and Sophia Bush.