In the cold open,
Craig Ferguson talks with
Bridger Winegar, a new production assistant who started with the show a week earlier. Noting Winegar's bright red hair and previous job as an intern on the
Late Show with David Letterman (1993), Ferguson alluded to his similarity to
Conan O'Brien (whose new show
Conan (2010) premiered on this night), with Winegar going from a show that aired at 11:30 to one airing later whereas O'Brien had left NBC after turning down a similar offer.