Colbert To Factor While O’Reilly Reports

Call it the night of “Cobreilly.” On Thursday, January 18, one of America’s funniest “news” anchors will switch places with one of America’s most unintentionally funny real news anchors. That’s right, Stephen Colbert will host ‘The O’Reilly Factor’ on Fox News while Bill O’Reilly takes over ‘The Colbert Report’ on Comedy Central.

It will surely be a case of fish-out-of-water for both men as the ‘Factor’ averages 2.1 million viewers a night airing typically more serious-minded material as opposed to the ‘Reports’ laugh-a-minute fare catering to its 1.2 million fans. Colbert’s half-hour spoof news show that follows Jon Stewarts ‘The Daily Show’ routinely lampoons the ‘Factor.’

Still, both anchors seem upbeat about the upcoming switcheroo, trading barbs along the way. Says Colbert as reported by Variety,"I look forward to the evening. It is an honor to speak face-to-face with a broadcasting legend, and I feel the same way about Mr. O'Reilly." To which O’Reilly retorted, "I'm really looking forward to speaking to the man who owes his entire career to me."

A top-rated cable news show for the past five years, ‘The O’Reilly Factor’ airs at 8 PM ET. ‘The Colbert Report,’ bearer of 2005’s word of the year “Truthiness” by the American Dialect Society , airs at 11:30 PM ET.