Logo text
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert It was scrapped, dismantled and auctioned off. But at least one piece of it has already found work.
The 12-foot-tall, illuminated display sign now sits atop WeHo Bistro, the French restaurant on La Cienega Boulevard, where he began his unlikely second career advertising steak frites.
Owner Jeff Douek acquired the sign during Late ShowAptly named “Everything Must Go!” The auction sold memorabilia and set pieces to benefit World Central Kitchen. Dweck lost the first bidding war but got another chance when the winner failed to complete the purchase. He came back, beat out 169 other bidders, and purchased the sign for $102,100.
That’s a lot of money for a souvenir, even if it’s too large to fit in most homes. But Dweck says he wanted to preserve a piece of TV history and “share the magic of Stephen Colbert with others.”
Transporting the magic to California required transporting it 2,801 miles from New York. It’s currently mounted on the restaurant’s roof, though Dweck plans to move it to the lobby, where customers can photograph themselves underneath it instead of just slowing down in traffic to stare.
The brand may soon return to the world of shows. Starting in August, Dweck says the restaurant will host its own Tuesday night “Late Show,” featuring comedy, music and other performers.
CBS may have pulled the plug on Colbert. At La Cienega, someone plugged it back in.
***
Also in the Rampling Reporter:
Patrick Demsby for Senate? Why is it considered? Newly married actors Tom Holland and Zendaya are starring together in two back-to-back summer blockbusters, a first for Hollywood.
This story appeared in the July 22 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
THR Newsletters
Sign up to get THR news straight to your inbox every day
Subscribe subscription
