Could Stephen Colbert be switching from The Late Show to The Morning Show?

The 61-year-old late-night host, who will helm the CBS franchise until it comes to an end next May, found himself unexpectedly teaming up with Jennifer Aniston during Wednesday’s episode to audition for a role as a weatherman on The Morning Show. 

The audition came up as part of a conversation about a potential fifth season of Aniston’s hit Apple TV+ series. When she expressed her hope for another installment, Colbert casually followed up by asking if the show might have “any fancy casting opportunities” for folks looking for work. 

“We’re actually doing some preliminary casting for this fifth season that we hope happens,” Aniston replied. Turning to the audience, she added, “You know [Colbert] was an actor, right? A brilliant actor.”

Jennifer Aniston on ‘The Morning Show’.
Apple TV +

She continued, “So I just thought, ‘Why not?’ You’re going to be free next year. Starting in June? You’re avail? So I thought maybe you could audition for season 5 of The Morning Show! Isn’t that sort of perfect?” 

When Colbert responded that he can absolutely fly out for an audition, Aniston waved away the suggestion.

“You don’t have to fly out. I brought a scene with me right now,” she said, pulling out a folder from behind her chair and handing Colbert a script. “And I figure we’ve got cameras in here rolling, right? So we can get you on tape, as they say.”

Aniston then set the scene. “Interior day. UBN Studios. Middle-aged man enters,” she read. “Just picture a Steve Carell type but, because [Carell’s] already been on The Morning Show, someone slightly sexier.”

Carell, who starred alongside Colbert on The Daily Show, played morning news anchor Mitch Kessler on the first two seasons of The Morning Show.

Jennifer Aniston on ‘The Morning Show’.

Apple TV+

Aniston, as her character Alex Levy, then introduced Colbert’s role. “You must be the morning show’s new weatherman, Jeremiah Cloudson-Storm,” she said.

Colbert quickly corrected her pronunciation of the character’s name, noting that Cloudson-Storm is “half Scottish,” “half meteorologist,” and “all weatherman.”

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“Well, we’re excited to have you here at UBN after the last guy was caught having an affair in space and then exploded on re-entry,” Aniston said.

To which Colbert responded, “I remember it well. It was a partly cloudy day.”

She then questioned Cloudson-Storm’s decision to make the leap from “two decades of doing late-night weather” to mornings. “Sounds like you have a troubled yet intriguing backstory,” Aniston said, prompting Colbert to reply, “Yeah, I had the number-one late-night weather show until the network canceled it.”

“What a premise! Sounds ripped from the headlines,” she remarked.

Colbert responded, “Yes, but changed just enough not to be legally actionable.”

Aniston, naturally, hired Colbert’s character on the spot. “Well, Mr. Cloudson-Storm, if you think you can drag that sort of intense dramatic baggage with you into this workplace, I have just one thing to say to you and that is welcome to UBN!” 

Colbert began to lean in slowly for a kiss before Aniston snapped him out of the scene. “That’s not in the script,” she said. “You gotta stick to the scripts!”

Earlier this week, Colbert celebrated his 10th anniversary at The Late Show. During his opening monologue, he joked that CBS’ parent company, Paramount, axed it in honor of the major milestone. 

“Of course, every anniversary has its traditional gift. First anniversary is paper, the fifth anniversary is wood, and the 10th anniversary is cancellation,” Colbert teased, drawing boos from the audience. “Thank you, Paramount, for remembering!”

Watch Colbert audition for The Morning Show in the clip above.