Stephen Colbert’s TCA panel on Monday afternoon started out with a brief video that Colbert cited as an example of something he might do on the show – not a promo, not a show open, just something fun he and his team made.

It was a parody of a Viagra commercial encouraging people to stay up later than usual to watch his show.

Colbert, who takes over CBS’ Late Show on Sept. 8, was lighthearted and excited as he took the stage at the TCA summer press tour. He even announced himself as if he was a contestant on The Price is Right.

“This is a natural relationship,” said Colbert. “This is right and intimate. What audience could be better than someone who has been here for 15 days at 4:30 on a Monday?”

Breaking the tension a bit after a day full of panels from CBS, Colbert went on to talk about his famous first guest.

“I wish I could have done better than George Clooney, but he’ll do for the first guest,” he joked. “I like George Clooney because he’s a brilliant actor, a great director and he cares about the world.”

Colbert announced Clooney as his first guest on Twitter, and announced on Monday that his first musical guest on his debut show Sept. 8 will be Kendrick Lamar.

Colbert also previously announced Jon Batiste as his band leader via one of his YouTube videos, saying the connection was “almost immediate.”

“He challenged me on whether I could improvise,” he said, so Colbert moved his chair closer so that they were knee to knee and “when he didn’t back down, I knew.”

“We had a couple long conversations about connecting with audiences,” he added. “I can’t wait to play off his energy onstage.”

When asked about how much his show will change now that he’s on a broadcast network, Colbert said that the main differences are the loss of his character and the pure man hours.

“CBS has asked nothing of me other than I do an hour every night,” Colbert said. “CBS has not asked me to change or do anything, other than asking ‘Would you mind adding another 120 hours in a year?’”

When asked if he would stick to the familiar late-night format of monologue, bit, guest, guest, musical guest, Colbert adamantly refused. “Well, that sounds boring. I say no to boring.”

Addressing the loss of his Colbert Report character (“That guy was a tool”), he said that when viewers saw him break and laugh at himself on the show, “that is the real Stephen Colbert.”

Colbert also said that his favorite part about his previous show was the interviews, but now he gets to do them as himself, about which he is very excited.

“All I really want from a guest is someone who as something to say,” Colbert said. “My character was actively ignorant – that’s one of the reasons I most wanted to drop the character. I had done most of what I wanted to do other than having an honest interest in my guest. Now I feel more freed up.”

He does admit there is a weird pressure in losing the character, however, because now people are expecting to see “the real him.” What about the people who always thought he was real? “I hope they’re seeking professional help.”

He also added that his guests might not look the same as other late-night shows, meaning there may be more politicians, more authors and more non-celebrities that he sees as having an interesting point of view.

“I’m very interested in my guests,” he said. “I look forward to being sincerely interested in what they have to say without translating it through an idiot’s mouth.”

Colbert added that, as he brought his entire creative time with him from The Colbert Report, the show will lean a bit more topical than other late-night shows “because it’s in our DNA.”

In the “late-night wars,” as one reporter called them, Colbert said that he doesn’t understand the sense of competition – of pitting late-night hosts against one another.

“Maybe I missed the competition gene,” he said. “Competition’s not that fun to me – we’re competing with ourselves to have fun on the show. I hope everybody does the same and has fantastic ratings, I don’t really care.”

As for the videos he and his team have been posting leading up to the new show (Trump’s announcement, a week of lunches with Colbert at his desk, shaving the Colbeard), he said those are mostly creative exercises to prepare for The Late Show. It’s also a way to reach out to his audience and fans while on hiatus and not on their TVs.

“When the Trump news came out, we said let’s get a script done today and shoot something,” he said. “I want our audience to know we haven’t forgotten about them.”

All in all, he said, it’s been “too much time not in front of an audience.” When asked if he was nervous, he said “If you’re not a little nervous you’re probably not trying hard enough.”

He only wanted to wait until the Sept. 8 premiere date originally because he figured that’s when the election cycle will really ramp up, but “now I’m just hoping some people stay in the race,” Colbert said. “I wanted to do jokes on Donald Trump so badly and I have no venue.”

“I’m anxious to get on the air,” Colbert said. “I’m not interested in comedy in theory. That’s like theology. I want to get to the religion.”

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