By next year, David Letterman will be stepping down as host of The Late Show and replaced by America’s most beloved satirical faux right-winger Stephen Colbert.

Letterman has been the host of The Late Show since it premiered in 1993.  As Letterman is on to bigger and better things, some critics say that Colbert has “made it to the top” by taking a step down.

Indeed, Letterman’s Twitter account has a bit less than 300,000 followers and Colbert’s twitter account has over four million, but where it really counts, The Late Show’s audience is about 2.8 million, while The Colbert Report’s audience is about 1.1 million.

In his show, Colbert assumes the role of a severely Catholic, severely Conservative man.  Even though most (arguably, all) of what he says is offensive, viewers know it is satire, which is why the show is so hilarious and therefore popular.

Colbert’s new role as host of Late Night, however, will not involve this Conservative character, so it will be a little bitter-sweet for Colbert fans.  Despite what critics say, Colbert said that he is honored to be taking the same seat as Letterman had.

“Simply being a guest on David Letterman’s show has been a highlight of my career,” he said.  “I never dreamed that I would follow in his footsteps … I’m thrilled and grateful that CBS chose me.”