>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY.
GIVE IT UP FOR LOUIS CATO AND "THE LATE SHOW" BAND RIGHT OVER
THERE. LOUIS.
GOOD TO SEE YOU. >> Louis: GOOD TO SEE YOU,
SIR. >> Stephen: ARE YOU PLANNING
TO WATCH THE SUPER BOWL THIS WEEKEND?
>> Louis: OH, YEAH. I'M GOING TO WATCH IT FROM HERE.
>> Stephen: I'M PRETTY EXCITED ABOUT IT.
WE HAVE A BUNCH OF PEOPLE HERE PULLING FOR CASEY AND A BUNCH
PEOPLE HERE PULLING FOR THE 49ers.
IT'S GOING TO TAKE COURAGE BUT I HAVE TO SAY I HAVE TO TAKE SIDES
AND SAY I'M HAPPY FOR BOTH OF THEM.
COMING UP IN JUST A MINUTE WE'VE GOT JOY-ANN REID FROM THE "THE
REIDOUT" ON MSNBC AND THEN TO THEN TO TIME WNBA CHAMPION A'JA
WILSON WILL BE OUT HERE IN JUST A MOMENT.
FOLKS, AS YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD, LAST NIGHT WE LOST ONE OF THE
GREATS. COUNTRY MUSIC LEGEND
TOBY KEITH PASSED AWAY LAST NIGHT AT THE AGE OF 62.
I WAS SHOCKED AND SADDENED WHEN I SAW THE NEWS THIS
MORNING. I KNEW HE WAS ILL.
HE'D BEEN FIGHTING STOMACH CANCER FOR SOME TIME.
BUT I STILL HAD HOPE THAT WE WOULD SEE EACH OTHER AGAIN,
AND WE WOULD HEAR HIM ON THIS STAGE.
'CAUSE I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO BECOME FRIENDS WITH TOBY
OVER THE YEARS, AS IMPROBABLE AS THAT SEEMS.
WE MET VERY EARLY ON "THE COLBERT REPORT."
AND BACK THEN, THERE WAS A NOT-SO-HELPFUL LEGEND THAT I
HAD KNIVES OUT FOR SOME OF MY GUESTS.
AND IT DIDN'T HELP THAT, AT THE BEGINNING, I SOMETIMES DID.
AND I REMEMBER HAVING SOME KIND OF PLAN FOR TOBY, I THINK
RELATED TO HIS BOOT-IN-YOUR-ASS SONG, AND THIS
BUT RIGHT BEFORE I WENT ON STAGE, I REMEMBER LOOKING DOWN
AT MY SHOES AND SAYING, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
YOU'RE A HOST. HE'S YOUR GUEST.
MAKE HIM FEEL WELCOME. SEE WHO HE IS."
AND WHADDYA KNOW? WE HIT IT OFF LIKE A HOUSE
AFIRE. I COULDN'T BELIEVE HOW MUCH
I ENJOYED TALKING TO TOBY KEITH, AND EVIDENTLY TOBY HAD
A GOOD TIME TOO. 'CAUSE AFTER THE SHOW, I WAS
HEADED TO A POST MORTEM MEETING AND HE WAS COMING OUT
OF HIS GREEN ROOM, THOSE ROOMS ARE ON THE SAME
HALLWAY, AND AS HE WAS HEADING FOR THE DOOR THAT GOES
ONTO 54TH STREET, HE CAUGHT MY EYE AND SAID: "HEY, MAN.
YOU DO A GREAT JOB. WHATEVER THE [BLEEP]
IT IS YOU DO." AND I TOOK THAT AS THE GREATEST
COMPLIMENT. SO MUCH SO THAT MY
THEN-HEAD WRITER ALLISON SILVERMAN
FOR CHRISTMAS HAD IT STITCHED ON A PILLOW FOR ME.
AND IT'S BEEN IN MY OFFICE EVER SINCE.
THAT DAY, TOBY TAUGHT ME TO NOT PREJUDGE A GUEST.
AND TO HAVE MY INTENTION BUT KEEP MY EYES OPEN TO THE REALITY
OF WHO THEY ARE. FOR THAT LESSON, AND FOR A LOT
OF OTHER THINGS, I'M ALWAYS GONNA BE GRATEFUL.
THIS IS A MAN WHO ROSE FROM OKLAHOMA'S OIL FIELDS, WHERE HE
WORKED ON A RIG AND THE STATE'S FOOTBALL FIELDS, WHERE
HE WAS A SEMIPROFESSIONAL DEFENSIVE END TO BECOME ONE OF
THE MOST CONSISTENT HITMAKERS IN COUNTRY MUSIC
FOR MORE THAN THREE DECADES. 20 BILLBOARD NUMBER ONE SONGS,
42 TOP-TEN HITS AND ROOMS FULL OF PLATINUM AND GOLD ALBUMS.
TOBY WAS A GREAT PERFORMER, UNAPOLOGETICALLY PATRIOTIC,
OPINIONATED, BRASH, OFTEN CONTROVERSIAL, BUT RESONATING
WITH LEGIONS OF FANS BY WRITING THEIR LIVES IN A VERY REAL
AND ENTERTAINING WAY. SO WE HAD HIM ON A LOT.
HE WAS ALWAYS FUN. HE WAS IN MY CHRISTMAS SPECIAL.
BACK IN 2008. WE HAD HIM ON THIS SHOW WHERE
HE GAVE ME THAT GUITAR, YOU RIGHT THERE
WHICH MY SON NOW PLAYS, AND I HOPE HE'LL THINK OF TOBY
WHEN HE DOES IT. ONE OF MY GREATEST HONORS
WAS WHEN I WAS ASKED TO INDUCT OF FAME WHERE I GOT TO SINGALL-
"AS GOOD AS I ONCE WAS," A SONG I USED TO LISTEN TO EVERY NIGHT
BEFORE GOING ON STAGE. I THINK HE ENJOYED HOW UNLIKELY
A PAIR WE SEEMED. I SURE DID.
YOU KNOW, LIKE, WHEN PEOPLE ARE EXCITED WHEN A DUCK
AND A HORSE ARE FRIENDS? FOR THE RECORD, I WAS THE DUCK.
BUT TOBY WAS ALWAYS SURPRISING PEOPLE.
YOU WOULD THINK YOU KNOW WHO TOBY KEITH WAS AND THEN
YOU'RE WATCHING OBAMA'S NOBEL ACCEPTANCE SPEECH AND
THERE'S TOBY KEITH GIVING HIM A STANDING OVATION!
TOBY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING THIS TIME?
TOBY TAUGHT ME NOT TO JUDGE PEOPLE TOO QUICKLY.
AND WITH HIS PASSING, I WILL TRY TO REMEMBER THAT AGAIN.
IT'S SOMETHING WE ALL NEED TO REMEMBER.
'CAUSE I'M SURE TOBY AND I DISAGREED ABOUT MANY THINGS,
AS SO MANY AMERICANS DO THESE DAYS.
MORE AND MORE OF US ARE ANGRIER AND ANGRIER WITH EACH OTHER.
BUT TONIGHT, I WILL ISSUE THIS INVITATION TO ANYBODY.
I DO NOT CARE WHO YOU ARE. I WILL MEET YOU AT THIS PLACE.
I WILL MEET YOU AT BEING BROKEN-HEARTED THAT TOBY KEITH
IS GONE. THANK YOU, BIG DOG.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH JOY-ANN REID.