California-based nonprofit wants to hire Stephen Colbert now that his show has been canceled

SAN DIEGO - A California-based nonprofit and leader in marine mammal science and conservation made a very public and unsolicited job offer to Stephen Colbert, whose nearly 11-year run as host of "The Late Show" came to an end last week with the controversial cancellation of his show. And the job offer got the Emmy-award-winning comedic legend’s attention. 

On Thursday, as Colbert delivered his final opening monologue of the final show, he told his audience that he was being recruited by the National Marine Mammal Foundation (NMMF). The nonprofit is headquartered in San Diego but has an East Coast hub in Charleston, South Carolina, where Colbert is from.

Stephen Colbert's final monologue

"Now a lot of people have been asking me what I plan to do after tonight," he said. He evoked laughter from the studio audience as he delivered the punchline, "And the answer is drugs."

Colbert went on by saying, "But here’s the thing. I just found this out. The National Marine Mammal Foundation in my beloved home state of South Carolina has a slightly different idea… because down there they put up this billboard saying, ‘Wanted: Former late show host burdened by whale-related childhood ambition."

He referred to video of the billboard which also included a link to where Colbert could apply, as he noted that the sign was just one of a series that went up as part of the job offer. 

In another billboard put out by the nonprofit, there is a photo of a closet full of suits with a wetsuit in the middle. The caption reads, "Hey Stephen, what's your wetsuit size? Your next gig is waiting."

Letter to Colbert 

During his monologue, the late-night comedian also referred to a letter that was addressed to him and posted on the nonprofit’s website, asking him to join the team "to become unusually useful to Charleston dolphins."

"I gotta say, it is really flattering to be considered," Colbert said, as he offered up some backstory. "Here’s the thing. I don't know how they knew this, but it is true that as a little boy I grew up wanting to be Jacques Cousteau," the show host shared.

Dig deeper:

This tidbit of information about the star was something the National Marine Mammal Foundation had excitedly been sitting on for years.

"A few years ago, we heard Stephen Colbert mention on the Strike Force Five podcast that, as a child, he dreamed of becoming a marine biologist," the foundation's president and CEO Dr. Cynthia Smith explained to KTVU. "We immediately started imagining ways to invite him to join our team as an advocate for marine mammals."

Smith said when news broke last summer that CBS would be canceling the show, the foundation decided the time had come to try and get his attention. 

‘Blown away’

NMMF said it was completely floored when Colbert acknowledged the outreach effort during his final monologue and noted that the spotlight offered an opportunity to bring awareness about the work it does.

"Our team was blown away that in the final minute of his final Late Show monologue, Stephen Colbert chose to shine a light on dolphins and our extraordinary team of scientists at the National Marine Mammal Foundation," Smith shared. That’s an incredible moment, not just for our team but for everyone that cares about marine mammal conservation."

Funding cuts

Big picture view:

The CEO said the attention comes at a time when conservation organizations like NMMF are navigating immense challenges, facing federal funding cuts at drastic levels.

"We need the public’s support now more than ever to continue our important work, to help us protect the animals we hold dear, including the critically endangered dolphins, porpoises, and whales around the world," Smith said.

The scope of the foundation’s work to protect aquatic mammals is expansive and includes studying environmental and climate shifts that affect the animals’ habitat, research on underwater noise pollution that threatens marine mammals, and education.  

"When we aren’t on the water, our field team is helping inspire the next generation of marine scientists through hands-on educational opportunities and real-world conservation experiences," Smith explained.

In its letter to Colbert, the group said that while it cannot offer him a network television gig, a studio audience, "or complete freedom from whale jokes," what it can offer is other perks, including working with intelligent dolphins, collaborating with world-class marine mammal scientists, "and the opportunity to help shine a national spotlight on conservation efforts happening in your hometown."

As part of its heartfelt pitch, the foundation tried to appeal to both Colbert's boyhood aspirations as well as addressing the urgency of the present conditions. 

"You once dreamed about this life. Now w

e are gently, publicly, and likely persistently inviting you back toward it. Because the truth is, the ocean needs good storytellers too."

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"I really appreciate the letter they sent to me," Colbert said in his monologue as part of the letter was put on the screen, and he read some highlights: "The work is essential, the mission matters deeply and the dolphins are cautiously optimistic about your availability."

The camera then went back to Colbert, who comedically asked, "What? The dolphins know I got canceled?"

He went on to say, "Wait, is that true dolphins?"  

Video then cut to a squeaking dolphin with all-caps "subtitles" that read: IT WAS PURELY A FINANCIAL DECISION!" 

The backstory:

That was a reference to CBS’s explanation for why it decided to cancel "The Late Show," as the network cited the rising cost of production and the steep drop in late night advertising revenue amid shifting viewer habits to streaming and YouTube.

But critics have been deeply skeptical, with widespread speculation that the decision to cancel the long-running show was actually driven by political motives. 

The announcement came last July, just days after CBS announced Paramount, its parent company, had settled a lawsuit with the Trump administration and Colbert, a longtime, outspoken critic of Donald Trump, mocked the deal. He called it a "big fat bribe." It also came as the company was vying for the administration’s approval of its merger with Skydance Media.  

Job offer ‘not a joke’

While the campaign to woo Colbert has apparently served as an effective marketing campaign to bring awareness to NMMF, the nonprofit stressed that the job offer itself was "not a joke" and that it hoped to hear from the television host.

As it optimistically awaited word from Colbert, the foundation celebrated the spotlight that he has helped cast on the foundation, with hopes it will translate into meaningful awareness and support for the work it does. 

NMMF said the public’s response has been "overwhelmingly heartfelt and often hilarious" and shared a vision of how wonderful it would be if Colbert did indeed take them up on its offer. 

"There’s something joyful about imagining Stephen Colbert sailing away from The Late Show into a life inspired by his childhood dreams, doing good for dolphins," Dr. Smith said. "It may just be the hug we all needed."