Craig Ferguson To Step Down As Host Of 'Late Late Show'

Late Late Show's host Craig Ferguson announced today that he will be stepping down from his post come December.

During a taping for his show at 5 p.m., the nearly decade-long host told the audience about his upcoming departure from CBS after his contract expires, reported Variety. He said in a statement: "CBS and I are not getting divorced, we are ‘consciously uncoupling,’ but we will still spend holidays together and share custody of the fake horse and robot skeleton, both of whom we love very much."

This decision comes on the heels of the announcement earlier this month that Stephen Colbert would be taking over David Letterman's chair for The Late Show in 2015 when Letterman is set to retire. Ferguson's announcement doesn't come as much as a surprise as the host had a special contract arrangement with CBS: if they didn't give him Letterman's slot, he would get an estimated $8 million to $10 million payout from the network, according to Variety.

Ferguson congratulated Colbert for landing the gig a couple of weeks ago in a short video:

The zany Scottish comedian, who was once a cast member of the Drew Carey Show, took the reins of the 12:35 a.m. late night spot from Craig Kilborn on Jan. 3, 2005. He was known for his quirky comedic bits, like talking to a robot and making interviews with celebrities humorous.

Here are some highlights from his interviews:

But as years went on, Deadline reported that CBS execs were rumored to be frustrated with Ferguson's viewership numbers. Ferguson's show was reportedly averaging less than half of the viewership NBC's Late Night With Seth Meyers was getting in the key adults 18-49 demographic.

As for who will take over Ferguson's Late Late Show? According to the Hollywood Reporter, CBS president and CEO Leslie Moonves is considering How I Met Your Mother's Neil Patrick Harris as potential candidate.

Ferguson will also be doing well, as he will be hosting the syndicated Celebrity Name Game show.