Product Code Database
Craig Lawrence Kilborn (born August 24, 1962) is an American television host, actor, comedian, and sports commentator. Kilborn began a career in sports broadcasting in the late 1980s, leading to an anchoring position at ESPN's SportsCenter from 1993 to 1996. He was later the first host of The Daily Show, which he hosted from 1996 to 1998, and succeeded Tom Snyder on CBS' The Late Late Show from 1999 to 2004. In comedy, Kilborn is known for his deadpan delivery.
After graduating from high school, Kilborn accepted a scholarship to play basketball at Montana State University in Bozeman; he earned dual bachelor's degrees in media and theater arts in 1985 and has joked he "led the Big Sky Conference in turnovers" and also while training.
In a 1997 interview with Esquire, Kilborn made jokes regarding Daily Show head writer Lizz Winstead, saying, "To be honest, Lizz does find me very attractive. If I wanted her to blow me, she would." Kilborn apologized publicly and pointed out that the remarks were "said in jest", but he was suspended for a week. Winstead left the show in January 1998.
In 1998, CBS and David Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants, selected Kilborn to replace Tom Snyder as host of The Late Late Show to run after Late Show with David Letterman. His final Daily Show episode aired on December 17, 1998, ending a 386-episode tenure. On January 11, 1999, Jon Stewart replaced Kilborn as host of The Daily Show. By the time of Kilborn's departure, only one original correspondent, Beth Littleford, stayed with Stewart. She would depart in May 2000.
On Jon Stewart's last Daily Show episode August 6, 2015, Kilborn made a cameo appearance as "Host Emeritus". It was his first appearance on the show since he left as host.
In a 2020 interview with The Athletic, Kilborn reflected on his time on The Daily Show, stating that he "had a blast" doing the show and that he was "living in New York City, hosting a comedy show, and sipping martinis at the illustrious 21 Club." He also said he "wasn't hired at Comedy Central to do a politics-heavy show, and he "would never do one — I have no interest." Kilborn credited The Daily Show for leading him to his dream job of hosting a traditional late-night show. He also said, " The Daily Show was innocently set up in a different way — they didn't hire the host first – so we inherited each other. Fortunately, most of the people were a good fit and supportive. But as much as I enjoyed it, I was always a short timer. It wasn't my show, and I wanted to do a network traditional hour format as opposed to a half-hour news parody."
In August 2004, Kilborn elected not to extend his contract. In a 2010 interview with the Los Angeles Times Kilborn said, "I didn't leave to do anything else, I left to leave. I achieved my career goals and it wasn't all it was cracked up to be", and adding that he believed the late night timeslot to be "crowded", and "the formats repetitive". Kilborn later stated in a 2019 interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer, "The main reason I left The Late Late Show was creatively I lost interest in late night comedy. The other reason was that the business side of that particular show was excessively flawed so I escaped the silliness," adding that he had "developed a specific, aristocratic comedic sensibility that didn't mesh with late night."
In a 2009 interview with the Television Academy Foundation, World Wide Pants executive Peter Lassally opined that Kilborn left the show "because he didn't get the raise he wanted." However, Kilborn stated in a 2004 interview with Daily Variety that "''The was easily the greatest job I've had, and CBS was very generous in their offer to re-sign me."
Kilborn's last episode of The Late Late Show aired on August 27, 2004. The Scottish comedian Craig Ferguson took over the show on January 3, 2005."
Kilborn guest hosted The Artie Lange Show on November 6–8, 2013.
He appeared in a TV commercial for Kraft Macaroni & Cheese in 2016.
Since 2022, Kilborn has hosted a podcast entitled The Life Gorgeous.
| 2003 | Pauly Shore Is Dead | Himself | |
| 2003 | Old School | Mark | |
| 2005 | Cursed | Himself | |
| 2006 | The Shaggy Dog | Baxter | |
| 2006 | The Benchwarmers | Jerry McDowell | |
| 2007 | Full of It | Mike Hanbo | |
| 2014 | The Extendables | Kilborn | |
| 2015 | The Bronze | Heath Parker |
| 1993–1997 | SportsCenter | Himself | 500 episodes |
| 1996–1998 | The Daily Show | Himself (host) | 386 episodes; also, writer |
| 1999–2004 | The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn | Himself (host) | 1,190 episodes; also, writer |
| 1999 | The Bold and the Beautiful | Nurse | Episode: "1.307" |
| 1999 | Martial Law | Lewis | Episode: "The Friendly Skies" |
| 2000 | JAG | Himself | Episode: "JAG TV" |
| 2001 | Yes, Dear | Himself | Episode: "Kentucky Top Hat" |
| 2002 | Resurrection Blvd. | Himself | Episode: "En un Momento" |
| 2010 | The Kilborn File | Himself (host) | 30 episodes; also creator, writer, executive producer |
| 2011 | Chuck | Roger Bale | Episode: "Chuck versus the Zoom" |
| 2015 | BoJack Horseman | Michael Morgan (voice) | Episode: "Chickens" |
| 2017 | Workaholics | Kurt Fossil | Episode: "Party Gawds" |
| 2020 | United We Fall | Dr. Sharpe | Episode: "My Favorite Marta" |
| 1997 | CableACE Award for Best Entertainment Host | The Daily Show | |
| 2003 | Teen Choice Award for Choice TV – Late Night | The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn | |
| 2004 | The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn |
|
|
