It turns out Stephen Colbert was NOT the front runner to replace David Letterman in his famous "Late Show" time slot. CBS actually approached "How I Met Your Mother" star Neil Patrick Harris, who rejected the role! Keep reading to find out why!

Harris, who is currently on Broadway in "Hedwig And The Angry Inch," met with CBS execs Les Moonves and Nina Tassler before Letterman announced his retirement. The actor wanted a change in pace in his work, opting for the Broadway show.

"They called me in and sat me down and asked if that would be something I'd be interested in doing," he told Howard Stern on Wednesday.

"I felt like I knew what my skill set was and what I wanted to do after the show, with them. It surprised me [Moonves] pitched me that idea," Harris explained. "I sat for a time with it while I was talking to him, and I told him what concerned me about the longevity of that kind of gig. I think I would get bored of the repetition fast. The structure is so set-I don't have any interest in doing monologue, commercial, sketch, guest, guest, musical act, good night."

However, NPH lovers could receive a solid consolation prize. Harris admitted he WOULD be interested in hosting a weekly variety show, which Moonves seemed to support!

"I'm very keen on it being an Ed Sullivan kind of show," he revealed.

"I think if it's weekly and people really want to see it - and you trust that there's a lot of really great shit on there - then you're going to get the guests to want to come on your thing. A weekly thing, you'd have more time to prep for stuff. You could do pre-taped stuff that would be really exciting, you could flesh it out a little bit more and have more acts."

Would you watch an NPH weekly variety show? Sound off in the comments section below!