Comedian Craig Ferguson returns to Homestead for Carnegie Music Hall show

Right about now, it seems we could all use a good laugh — and who better to coax that out of us than Craig Ferguson?

The comedian with the heavy Scottish accent delighted late-night television audiences for a decade as host of CBS’s “Late, Late Show” and earned a loyal following. For his work on that show and as a TV game show host, Ferguson has won a Peabody Award and two Emmy Awards.

But Ferguson’s real passion is stand-up comedy. When the Tribune-Review caught up with him recently, he was traveling in a Dodge Ram on Interstate 80, some 50 miles east of Lincoln, Neb. — part of a cross country trip going from gig to gig. He’ll arrive in the Pittsburgh area on Monday for a return engagement at the Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall in Munhall as part of his “Fancy Rascal Tour.”

Sitting in his vehicle and looking cool in his sunglasses during a video chat, Ferguson took a moment to boast.

“I think I’m the only person I know who’s played Carnegie Hall in New York and Carnegie Hall in Dunfermline, Scotland,” he said.

Well, he can add Carnegie Hall in Homestead to the list.

Ferguson had at least one previous gig there in 2015 around the time he was getting ready to step away from the “Late, Late, Show.” He seemed to enjoy being free of the constraints of network television that night and free to engage in the stories of an edgy raconteur.

“From now on I’m only going to play theaters that have Carnegie in the title,” he joked.

Drawing inspiration from the “beautiful … amazing” Midwestern sky he was observing during his traveling conversation with the Trib, Ferguson seemed undaunted about the long drive ahead of him to his next gig in Boston. At an age when he could rest on his laurels and retire, Ferguson, 60, expressed excitement about being back out on the road and performing.

“The last three years when everybody had to stay home for a long time (during the pandemic) I went a little crazy and I thought ‘I’ve got to go back to work, ” Ferguson said. “Even if I was massively wealthy, let’s just say I’m not, I’d still do this because it’s what I do. Eric Clapton still plays the guitar. He doesn’t have to play the guitar, he’s got money. But he does because it’s what he does and this is what I do. I like it.”

Ferguson has been doing stand-up comedy for four decades and said he was inspired by Scottish comedian Billy Connolly. He’s also a fan of the Three Stooges. “When I was younger, I smoked a lot of hashish and watched old TV.”

When it was brought to his attention that a Three Stooges festival was being held in Pittsburgh a few days before his arrival, he expressed interest. “Let’s stop plugging my gig and start talking about The Three Stooges because it sounds like fun.”

Even though his fans tell him they miss seeing him on late night television, Ferguson said he doesn’t miss hosting the “Late, Late, Show.”

“It was a great job, and I loved doing it, but 10 years is enough for me,” he said. “It’s a pretty decent job and you get your face on some benches at bus stops so it’s cool. It’s decent money and it can be enjoyable. But I didn’t want to keep doing it forever. I don’t want to do it every day.

“Trying to exist inside the strict manners of a corporate environment, it’s exhausting and I’d rather just live my life the way I live it.”

That having been said, with Ferguson’s successor James Corden having announced he’s ready to leave the “Late, Late, Show” as early as next year, there have been plenty of fans expressing support on social media for bringing Ferguson back to the host chair. So, is there any possibility he would reconsider?

“I’d like to categorically say ‘No,’ to that,” Ferguson said. “You can’t go back. That’s crazy. I loved doing it and it’s great, but it’s done. You can’t go back.”

One would think that a host/comedian who seemed to enjoy helping people make sense of the world as much as Ferguson did would have regrets about not being around for the election and the insurrection and all of the chaos in the world.

“No, no the opposite of that,” he said. “What I liked to do in late night is create my own chaos. That show was its own chaos. It was a self contained little piece of anarchy. I don’t know if I would have survived in a highly charged political environment like that. I think I would have been seen as irrelevant.”

As for what he plans to riff on Monday night, Ferguson said one topic is old age.

“I’m getting older so I guess there will be a lot of talk about ailments. I try to keep it as loose as I can because the world changes from day to day. But I don’t do current events. That’s not my thing. Something will turn up, don’t worry.”

His area fans are likely not worried at all but rather excited about getting a long awaited Ferguson comedy fix.