Stephen Colbert: Difference between revisions

Browse history interactively

← Previous edit Next edit →

Content deleted Content added

VisualWikitext

Inline

Revision as of 20:33, 21 January 2007

Guns don't kill people, Chuck Norris kills people.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+Guns don't kill people, Chuck Norris kills people.
-''{{about|Stephen Colbert, the actor|the character he portrays on [[The Colbert Report]]|Stephen Colbert (character)}}''
-{{Infobox actor
-| name = Stephen Colbert
-| image       = Stephen Colbert.jpg
-| imagesize = 220px
-| caption     = Stephen Colbert at [[Knox College, Illinois|Knox College]].
-| birthdate = {{birth date and age|1964|05|13}}
-| location = [[Washington, D.C.]]
-| birthname =
-| notable role = '''[[Stephen Colbert (character)|Stephen Colbert]]''' in<br>''[[The Daily Show]]'',<br>and ''[[The Colbert Report]];<br>'''Chuck Noblet''' in<br>''[[Strangers with Candy]]
-}}
-'''Stephen Tyrone Colbert''' ({{IPA2|kolbɛrt}}) (born [[May 13]], [[1964]]) is a three-time [[Emmy Award]]-winning [[United States|American]] [[comedian]], [[actor]], and [[writer]], known for his satirical style and [[deadpan]] comedic delivery.
-Colbert originally studied to be a dramatic actor, but became interested in improvisational theater when he met famed [[The Second City|Second City]] director [[Del Close]] while attending [[Northwestern University]].  He first performed professionally as an understudy for [[Steve Carell]] at Second City Chicago; among his troupe mates were comedians [[Paul Dinello]] and [[Amy Sedaris]], with whom he developed the critically acclaimed sketch comedy series ''[[Exit 57]]''.
-Colbert also wrote and performed on the short-lived ''[[Dana Carvey Show]]'' before collaborating with Sedaris and Dinello again on the cult TV series ''[[Strangers with Candy]]''. He gained considerable attention for his role on the latter as closeted gay history teacher [[Characters from Strangers With Candy#Mr Charles "Chuck" Noblet|Chuck Noblet]]; it was his work as a correspondent on Comedy Central's news-parody series ''[[The Daily Show]]'', however, that first introduced him to a wide audience.
-In 2005, he left ''The Daily Show'' to host its newly-created [[spinoff]] series, ''[[The Colbert Report]]''. Following from ''The Daily Show's'' news-parody concept, ''The Colbert Report'' styles itself as a parody of such personality-driven political opinion shows as [[Bill O'Reilly (commentator)|Bill O'Reilly]]'s ''[[The O'Reilly Factor]]''. Since its debut the series has been successful, earning Colbert three Emmy nominations and an invitation to perform as featured entertainer at the [[White House Correspondents' Association Dinner]] in its first year, in addition to establishing itself as one of Comedy Central's highest rated series. Colbert was named one of ''Time Magazine's'' 100 most influential people in 2006.<ref name="time100">{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/2006/time100/|title=The TIME 100: The People Who Shape Our World|publisher=[[TIME Magazine]]|date=[[April 30]], [[2006]]|accessdate=2006-07-07}}</ref>
-==Personal life==
-Stephen Colbert was born in [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref name="alum">{{cite news|title=A Funny Man of Good Report|publisher=Northwestern Magazine|first=Marley|Last=Seaman|date=Winter, 2005|url=http://www.northwestern.edu/magazine/winter2005/alumninews/close-ups/colbert.html}}</ref> and grew up in [[South Carolina]] on [[James Island (South Carolina)|James Island]], the youngest of 11 children in an [[Irish Catholic]] family.<ref name=dowd>{{cite news|first=Maureen|last=Dowd|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/jon_stewart_stephen_colbert_americas_anchors/page/3|title=America's Anchors|publisher=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=[[November 16]], [[2006]]|accessdate=2006-12-09}}</ref><ref name="charlestonian">{{cite news|url=http://colbertsheroes.org/articles/CharlestonPost-Apr29-06.shtml|title=Great Charlestonian? ... Or the Greatest Charlestonian?|first=Bryce|last=Donovan|publisher=[http://www.charleston.net/default.aspx The Charleston Post and Courier]|date=[[April 29]], [[2006]]|accessdate=2006-07-22}}</ref><ref name=25questions>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/25/magazine/25questions.html|title=Funny About the News|first=Deborah|last=Solomon|publisher=[[The New York Times]]|date=[[September 25]], [[2005]]|accessdate=2006-07-22}}</ref> His father, James Colbert, was the vice president for academic affairs at the [[Medical University of South Carolina]]. His mother, Lorna Colbert, was a homemaker. In interviews, Colbert has described his parents as devout people who also strongly valued [[intellectual]]ism and taught their children that it was possible to question the Church and still be Catholic.<ref name=TimeOut>{{cite news|http://www.timeout.com/newyork/DetailsAr.do?file=hotseat/506/506.hotseat.html|title=Joyce Words|first=David|last=Cote|publisher=TimeOut New York|date= [[June 9]], [[2005]]|accessdate=2006-08-13}}</ref> The emphasis his family placed on intelligence as a desirable trait would lead Colbert to train himself to suppress his [[Southern American English|southern accent]] when he was still quite young. As a child, he observed that [[Southern United States|Southerners]] were often depicted as being less intelligent than other characters on scripted television; to avoid that stereotype, he taught himself to imitate the speech of American [[news presenter|news anchors]] from an early age.<ref name="freshair1">{{cite news|url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4464017| title=A Fake Newsman's Fake Newsman: Stephen Colbert|first=Terry|last=Gross|publisher=Fresh Air on National Public Radio|date=[[January 24]], [[2005]]}}</ref><ref name="60minutes">{{cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/04/27/60minutes/main1553506.shtml|title=The Colbert Report: Morley Safer Profiles Comedy Central's 'Fake' Newsman|author=[[Morley Safer|Safer, Morley]]|publisher=[[60 Minutes]]|date=[[August 13]], [[2006]]|accessdate=2006-08-15}}</ref>
-[[Image:Time 100 Stephen Colbert and wife.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Stephen Colbert and his wife Evelyn McGee-Colbert at the [[Time Magazine 2006 Time 100 Poll|2006 Time 100]].]]
-On [[September 11]], [[1974]], when Colbert was 10 years old, his father and two brothers, Peter and Paul, were killed in the crash of [[Eastern Air Lines Flight 212]] while it was attempting to land in [[Charlotte, North Carolina]]. They were reportedly en route to enroll the two boys at [[Canterbury High School (Connecticut)|Canterbury High School]] in [[New Milford, Connecticut]].<ref name=25questions/><ref name="obit">{{cite news|title=Obituaries|publisher=[[The Washington Post]]|date=[[September 14]], [[1974]]}}</ref> Shortly thereafter, Lorna Colbert relocated the family downtown to the more urban environment of East Bay Street. By his own account, Colbert found the transition difficult and did not easily make new friends in his new neighborhood.<ref name="charlestonian"/> Colbert would later describe himself during this time as detached, lacking a sense of the importance of the things other children around him concerned themselves with.<ref name="ign">{{cite news|url=http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/433/433111p1.html|title=An Interview with Stephen Colbert|first=Ken|last=P.|publisher=[[IGN|IGN Filmforce]]|date=[[August 11]], [[2003]]|accessdate=2006-07-22}}</ref><ref name="60minutes"/> He developed a love of science fiction and fantasy novels, especially the works of [[J. R. R. Tolkien]], of which he remains an avid fan. During his adolescence, he also developed an intense interest in fantasy role-playing games, especially ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'',<ref name="gamespy">{{cite news|url=http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/dungeons-dragons-online/537989p1.html|title=Stephen Colbert on D&D|first=Allen|last=Rausch|publisher=[[GameSpy|GameSpy PC]]|date=[[August 17]], [[2004]]|accessdate=2006-07-22}}</ref><ref name="ign"/> a pastime which he would later characterize as an early experience in acting and [[improvisation]].<ref name="avclub">{{cite news|url=http://www.avclub.com/content/node/44705|title=Stephen Colbert interview|first=Nathan|last=Rabin|publisher=[[The A.V. Club]]|date=[[January 26]], [[2006]]|accessdate=2006-07-10}}</ref>
-Colbert attended Charleston's [[Episcopal Church in the United States of America|Episcopal]] [[Porter-Gaud School]], where he participated in several school plays and contributed to the school newspaper but, by his own assessment, was not highly motivated academically.<ref name="ign"/> When he was younger, he had hoped to study [[marine biology]], but surgery intended to repair a severely [[perforated eardrum]] caused him inner ear damage sufficient to rule out a career that would involve [[scuba diving]], as well as leaving him [[deafness|deaf]] in his right ear.<ref name="charlestonian"/><ref name="nypostguy">{{cite news|url=http://www.newyorker.com/talk/content/articles/050725ta_talk_remnick|title=Reporter Guy|first=David|last=Remnick|publisher="[[The New Yorker]]|date=[[July 25]], [[2005]]|accessdate=2006-07-07}}</ref> For a while, he was uncertain as to whether or not he would attend college,<ref name="tiger">{{cite news|url=http://64.233.187.104/search?q=cache:HQ9UQQMyH5UJ:www2.hsc.edu/news/archive/colbert.html+%22Stephen+Colbert%22+Latin+hampden&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1|title=Student Meets Daily Show Correspondent With Ties to the Hill|first=Nick|last=Beazley|date=2003|publisher=The Hampden-Sydney Tiger}}</ref>, but ultimately he applied and was accepted to [[Hampden-Sydney College]] in Virginia, where a friend had also enrolled. There he continued to participate in plays while studying mainly [[philosophy]]<ref name="ballots">{{cite news|url=http://newyorkmetro.com/news/politics/22322/ |title=Stephen Colbert Has America by the Ballots |publisher=New York Magazine |date=2006-10-16 |last=Sternbergh |name=Adam |accessdate=2006-10-10}}</ref><ref name="ign"/>; he found the curriculum rigorous but was more focused than he had been in high school and was able to apply himself to his studies. Despite the lack of a significant theater community at Hampden-Sydney, Colbert's interest in acting escalated during this time. After two years, he transferred to [[Northwestern University]]'s School of Communication to study performance, emboldened by the realization that he loved performing even when no one was coming to shows.<ref name=ign/> While there, he became involved in the improvisation troupe [[I.O.|ImprovOlympic]]. After college, he went to work at [[The Second City]] and participated in improv classes there.<ref name="avclub"/>
-Colbert sometimes comedically refers to his surname as [[France|French]], but his family is actually of [[Irish people|Irish]] descent<ref name="dowd"/>. Originally, the name was pronounced "Col-bert", but Colbert's father had always wanted to pronounce the name "Col-BARE", remaining "Col-bert" only out of respect for his own father. As a result, James Colbert offered his children the option to pronounce the name whichever way they preferred.<ref name="charlestonian"/> Colbert started using "Col-BARE" when he transferred to Northwestern University, taking advantage of the opportunity to reinvent himself in a new place where no one knew him.<ref name="dowd"/>
-Although by his own account he was not particularly political before joining the cast of ''[[The Daily Show]]'', Colbert is a self-described [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]].<ref name="smirk">{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/09/AR2005100901551.html|title="TV's Newest Anchor: A Smirk in Progress|first=Howard|last=Kurtz|publisher=[[The Washington Post]]|date=[[October 10]], [[2005]]|accessdate=2006-08-11}}</ref><ref name="EW">{{cite news|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/report/0,6115,677356_3%7C21904%7C%7C0_0_,00.html|title="Show" Off|first=Mandi|last=Bierly|publisher=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|date=[[July 22]], [[2006]]|accessdate=2006-07-22}}</ref> He is also a practicing Roman Catholic<ref name=TimeOut/>  and a [[Sunday school]] teacher.<ref>Interview with Stephen Colbert on ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'', [[June 14]], [[2006]].</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/archives/2006/03/colbert_seeks_r.html|title=Colbert Seeks Rapport With GOPers|first=Marc|last=Ambinder|publisher=The Hotline|date= [[March 3]], [[2006]]|accessdate=2006-08-13}}</ref>He lives in [[Montclair, New Jersey]] with his wife Evelyn McGee-Colbert who appeared with him in an episode of ''[[Strangers with Candy]]'' as his mother.  She also had an uncredited cameo as a nurse in the series [[television pilot|pilot]], along with a credited one (as his wife, Clair) in the [[Strangers with Candy (film)|Strangers with Candy movie]]. The couple have three children: Madeline, Peter, and John — all of whom have appeared on ''The Daily Show''.<ref name="child">{{cite news|url=http://www.child.com/child/story.jhtml?storyid=/templatedata/child/story/data/colbert.xml&catref=chd73|title=The King of Comedy|first=Marisa|last=Milanese|publisher=Child Magazine|date=March 2004|accessdate=2006-08-11}}</ref>
-==Career in comedy==
-===Early career===
-While at Northwestern, Colbert studied with the intent of becoming a dramatic actor; mostly he performed in experimental plays and was uninterested in comedy. He began performing [[Improvisational comedy|improv]] at the [[Annoyance Theatre]] in Chicago as a part of [[Del Close]]'s [[ImprovOlympic]] at a time when the project was focused on competitive, [[Improvisation#Long form|long form]] improvisation, rather than improvisational comedy. "I wasn't gonna do Second City," Colbert later recalled, "because those Annoyance people looked down on Second City because they thought it wasn't pure improv — there was a slightly snobby, mystical quality to the Annoyance people."<ref name="avclub"/>
-After Colbert graduated, however, he was in need of a job, and a friend who was employed at Second City's box office offered him work answering phones and selling souvenirs.<ref name="ign"/> Colbert accepted, and discovered that Second City employees were entitled to take classes at their training center for free.<ref name="avclub"/> Despite his earlier aversion to the comedy group, he signed up, and enjoyed the experience greatly; shortly thereafter, he was hired to perform with Second City's touring company, initially as an understudy for [[Steve Carell]].  It was there he met [[Amy Sedaris]] and [[Paul Dinello]], with whom he would often collaborate later in his career. By their retelling, the three comedians did not get along at first — Dinello thought Colbert was uptight, pretentious and cold, while Colbert thought of Dinello as "an illiterate thug"<ref name="wiggingout">{{cite news|title=Wigging Out|first=Darel|last=Jevens|publisher=The Chicago Sun-Times|date=April 27, 2003|}}</ref> — but the trio became close friends while touring together, discovering that they shared a similar comic sensibility.<ref name="ign"/>
-When Sedaris and Dinello were offered the opportunity to create a television series for HBO Downtown Productions, Colbert quit Second City and relocated to New York in order to work with them on the sketch comedy show ''[[Exit 57]]''<ref name="ign"/>. The series debuted on Comedy Central in 1995 and aired through 1996. Despite only lasting for 12 episodes, the show received favorable reviews<ref>{{cite news|title=CRITIC'S CORNER|first=Matt|last=Roush|publisher=USA TODAY|date=August 18, 1995}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=The new skitcoms: Sketches of pain|first=David|last=Lipsky|publisher=Rolling Stone|date=Jan 21, 1995}}</ref> and was nominated for five [[CableACE Award]]s in 1995, in categories including best writing, performance, and comedy series.<ref name="ccbio">{{cite news|url=http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/the_daily_show/news_team/correspondents/stephen_colbert.jhtml|title=Biography of Stephen Colbert at Comedy Central's official website.|publisher=[[Comedy Central]]|accessdate=2006-07-22}}</ref>
-Following the cancellation of ''Exit 57'', Colbert worked for six months as a cast member and writer on ''[[The Dana Carvey Show]]'', alongside former Second City cast mate Steve Carell, as well as [[Robert Smigel]], [[Charlie Kaufman]], [[Louis C.K.]] and [[Dino Stamatopoulos]], among others. The series, described by one reviewer as "kamikaze satire" in "borderline-questionable taste"<ref name="saloncarvey">{{cite news|url=http://www.salon.com/09/reviews/carvey1.html|title=Dana Carvey bites the hand that feeds him|first=Joyce|last=Millman|publisher=[[Salon.com]]|accessdate=2006-11-25}}</ref>, had sponsors pull out after its first episode aired, and was cancelled after seven episodes.<ref name="saloncarvey"/> Colbert then worked as a freelance writer for ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' with Robert Smigel. Smigel also brought his animated sketch ''[[The Ambiguously Gay Duo]]'' to ''SNL'' from ''The Dana Carvey Show''; Colbert provided the voice of Ace on both series, opposite Steve Carell as Gary. To make ends meet, he also worked as a script consultant for [[VH1]] and [[MTV]], before taking a job  filming humorous correspondent segments for ''[[Good Morning America]]''.<ref name="ign"/> Only two of the segments he proposed were ever produced, and only one aired, but the job led his agent to refer him to ''The Daily Show's'' then-producer, Madeline Smithberg, who hired Colbert on a trial basis in 1997.<ref name="mediabistro">{{cite news|url=http://www.mediabistro.com/articles/cache/a238.asp|title=So What Do You Do, Stephen Colbert?|first=Jacqueline|last=Schneider|publisher=[http://www.mediabistro.com Mediabistro.com]|date=[[May 6]], [[2003]]|accessdate=2006-07-22}}</ref>
-===''Strangers with Candy''===
-[[Image:Strangerswthcandy.gif|thumb|left|250px|Stephen Colbert with [[Amy Sedaris]] on ''Strangers with Candy''.]]
-During the same time frame, Colbert worked again with Sedaris and Dinello to develop a new comedy series for Comedy Central, ''[[Strangers with Candy]]''. Comedy Central picked up the series in 1998 after Colbert had already begun working on ''The Daily Show''. As a result Colbert accepted a reduced role, filming only 20 ''Daily Show'' segments a year while he worked on the new series.<ref name="ign"/>
-''Strangers with Candy'' was conceived of as a parody of after-school specials, following the life of [[Characters from Strangers With Candy#Jerri Blank|Jerri Blank]], a 46-year-old drop-out who returns to finish high school after 32 years of life on the street. Most noted by critics for its use of offensive humor, it concluded each episode by delivering to the audience a skewed, politically incorrect moral lesson.<ref name="tvgswc">{{cite news|title=Review - Strangers With Candy|first=Ken|last=Fox|publisher=TV Guide|url=http://online.tvguide.com/detail/movie.aspx?tvobjectid=281396&more=ucmoviereview}}</ref> Colbert served as a main writer alongside Sedaris and Dinello, as well as portraying Jerri's strict but uninformed history teacher, [[Characters from Strangers With Candy#Mr Charles "Chuck" Noblet|Chuck Noblet]], seen throughout the series dispensing inaccurate information to his classes. Colbert has likened this to the character he played on ''The Daily Show'' and later ''The Colbert Report'', claiming that he has a very specific niche in portraying "uninformed, high-status idiot" characters.  Another running joke throughout the series was that Noblet, a closeted homosexual, was having a "secret" affair with fellow teacher [[Characters from Strangers With Candy#Mr Geoffrey Jellineck|Geoffrey Jellineck]] despite the fact that their relationship was apparent to everyone around them.
-Thirty episodes of the series were made, which aired on Comedy Central in 1999 and 2000. Though its ratings were not remarkable during its initial run, it has been characterized as a cult show with a small but dedicated audience.<ref name="ewswc">{{cite news|title=50 Best TV Shows on DVD|first=Mandi|last=Bierly|publisher=Entertainment Weekly|date=November 26, 2004}}</ref> Colbert reprised his role for a film adaptation, which premiered at the [[Sundance Film Festival]] in 2005 and had a limited release in 2006. The film received mixed reviews. Colbert also co-wrote the screenplay with Sedaris and Dinello.<ref name="metaswc">{{cite news|title=Strangers With Candy(2006) Reviews|publisher=Metacritic.com|url=http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/strangerswithcandy?q=strangers%20with%20candy}}</ref>
-===''The Daily Show''===
-{{main|The Daily Show}}
-[[Image:Stephen Colbert TDS.png|thumb|right|250px|Stephen Colbert as a correspondent on ''The Daily Show with Jon Stewart''.]]
-Stephen Colbert joined the cast of Comedy Central's parody-news series ''[[The Daily Show]]'' in 1997, when the show was in its second season. Originally one of four "correspondents" who filmed segments from remote locations in the style of network news field reporters, Colbert was referred to as "the new guy" on-air for his first two years on the show, during which time [[Craig Kilborn]] served as host. When Kilborn left the show prior to the 1999 season, [[Jon Stewart]] took over hosting duties, also serving as a writer and co-executive. From this point, the series gradually began to take on a more political tone, and began to increase in popularity, particularly in the latter part of 2000 during the [[United States presidential election, 2000|U.S. presidential election]] season. The role of the show's correspondents was expanded to include more in-studio segments, as well as international reports which were almost always faked with the aid of a [[bluescreen|green screen]].<ref name="ign"/>
-Unlike Stewart, who essentially hosts ''The Daily Show'' as himself,<ref name="baldego">{{cite news|title=The American Bald Ego|first=James|last=Poniewozik|publisher=Time Magazine|date=November 6, 2005|accessdate=2006-10-30|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1126747,00.html}}</ref>  Colbert developed a correspondent character for his pieces on the series. Colbert has described his correspondent character as "a fool who has spent a lot of his life playing not the fool" — an idiot who is informed enough to be able to cover for his idiocy much of the time, but is still an idiot.<ref name="ign"/> The character was frequently pitted against knowledgeable interview subjects, or against Stewart in scripted exchanges, with the resultant dialogue demonstrating the Colbert-character's lack of knowledge of whatever he's talking about;<ref name="steinberg">{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/12/arts/television/12colb.html?ei=5088&en=262a857c34eb149f&ex=1286769600&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&pagewanted=print|title=The News Is Funny, as a Correspondent Gets His Own Show|first=Jacques|last=Steinberg|publisher=[[The New York Times]]|date=[[October 13]], [[2005]]|accessdate=2006-07-13}}</ref><ref name="ign"/> he also made generous use of humorous fallacies of logic in explaining his point of view on any topic. Other ''Daily Show'' correspondents have adopted a similar style, and the convention of having more character-driven correspondent segments, with Stewart serving as a kind of [[Double act|straight-man]] foil, is now generally accepted as a part of the show's format.
-[[Image:Carellcolbert ds.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Colbert with [[Steve Carell]] in the segment "Even Stephven" from ''[[The Daily Show]]''.]]
-Some recurring segments Colbert has appeared in for ''The Daily Show'' have included "Even Stephven" with [[Steve Carell]], and "[[This Week in God]]," a weekly report on topics in the news pertaining to religion, presented with the help of "[[The Daily Show recurring elements|The God Machine]]". Colbert also filed reports from the floor of the [[Democratic National Convention]] and the [[Republican National Convention]] as a part of ''The Daily Show's'' award-winning coverage of the 2000 and 2004 U.S. Presidential elections; many from the latter were included as part of their ''Indecision 2004'' DVD release. In a few episodes of ''The Daily Show'', Colbert filled in as anchor in the absence of [[Jon Stewart]], including the full week of [[March 3]], [[2002]] when Stewart was scheduled to host ''Saturday Night Live''. On one occasion, guest interviewee [[Al Sharpton]] failed to arrive for the taping, so Colbert filled in as Sharpton.<ref name="usatoday">{{cite news|url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/columnist/candy/2001-12-19-candy.htm|title=Pop Candy's People of the Year 2001|author=Pop Candy|publisher=[[USA Today]]|date=[[January 1]], [[2002]]|accessdate=2006-07-22}}</ref> After Colbert left the show, the duty of filling in for Stewart was assumed by [[Rob Corddry]] until Corddry's departure in August 2006. Corddry also took over the "This Week in God" segments, although a recorded sample of Colbert's voice is still used as a sound effect for the God Machine.  New episodes of ''The Daily Show'' still occasionally reuse older Colbert segments under the label "Klassic Kolbert". Colbert won three Emmys as a writer of ''The Daily Show'' in 2004, 2005 and 2006.
-===The Colbert Report===
-[[Image:colbert-truthiness.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Stephen Colbert announces that "The Wørd" of the night is ''[[truthiness]]'', during the premiere episode of ''The Colbert Report''.]]
-[[Image:Colbert_report.jpg|200px|thumb|Colbert on the set of ''The Colbert Report''.]]
-{{main|The Colbert Report}}
-Since [[October 17]], [[2005]], Colbert has hosted his own television show, ''[[The Colbert Report]]'', a ''[[Daily Show]]'' spin-off which parodies the conventions of television [[news broadcasting]],<ref name="freshair1">{{cite news|url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4464017| title=A Fake Newsman's Fake Newsman: Stephen Colbert|first=Terry|last=Gross|publication=Fresh Air on National Public Radio|date=[[January 24]], [[2005]]}}</ref> particularly cable-personality political talk shows like ''[[The O'Reilly Factor]]'' and ''[[Scarborough Country]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.newyorker.com/printables/fact/060327fa_fact|title=Bill O'Reilly's baroque period.|first=Nicholas|last=Lemann|publisher=[[The New Yorker]]|date=[[March 21]], [[2006]]|accessdate=2006-07-08}}</ref><ref name ="avclub"/> Colbert hosts the show [[Stephen Colbert (character)|in-character]] as a blustery [[right-wing]] [[Pundit (politics)|pundit]], generally considered to be an extension of his character on ''The Daily Show''. Conceived of by co-creators Stewart, Colbert and [[Ben Karlin]] in part as an opportunity to explore "the character-driven news", the series focuses less on the day-to-day news cycle than the ''Daily Show'', instead frequently concentrating on the foibles of the host-character himself.<p>
-The concept for ''The Report'' was first seen in a series of ''Daily Show'' segments which advertised the as-of-yet-fictional series as a joke. It was later developed by Stewart's [[Busboy Productions]] and pitched to Comedy Central, which [[greenlight]]ed the program; Comedy Central had already been searching for a way to extend the successful ''[[Daily Show]]'' franchise beyond a half hour.<ref name="medialife">{{cite news| url=http://www.medialifemagazine.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=121&num=778|title=The wit and sense of 'Colbert Report'|publisher=Medialife Magazine|first=Toni|last=Fitzgerald|date=[[October 20]], [[2005]]}}</ref> The series opened to strong ratings, averaging 1.2 million viewers nightly during its first week on the air. [[Comedy Central]] signed a long-term contract for ''The Colbert Report'' within its first month on the air, when it immediately established itself among the network's highest-rated shows.<ref name="renewal">{{cite news|url=http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,17706,00.html?tnews|first=Charlie|last=Amter|title=Comedy Central Keeps Colbert|publication="E! Online|date=[[November 2]], [[2005]]}}</ref><ref name=newsweek1>{{cite news|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9767517/site/newsweek/|title=Life, The Docudrama|first=Tom|last=Masland|publisher=[[Newsweek]]|date=[[October 21]], [[2005]]}}</ref><p>
-===2006 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner===
-{{main|Stephen Colbert at the 2006 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner}}
-[[Image:Snapshot200604292346073on.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Stephen Colbert at the 2006 [[White House Correspondents' Association|White House Correspondents' Dinner]]]]
-On Saturday, [[April 29]], [[2006]], Stephen Colbert was the featured entertainer for the 2006 [[White House Correspondents' Association]] Dinner. Standing a few yards from [[President of the United States|U.S. President]] [[George W. Bush]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=3&entry_id=4791|title=Stephen Colbert Has Brass Cojones|author=Mark Morford|publisher=SF Gate|date=[[May 1]], [[2006]]|accessdate=2006-06-01}}</ref> &ndash; in front of an audience the [[Associated Press]] called a "Who's Who of power and celebrity"<ref name="ap-2006.04.30">{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/30/AR2006043000147.html|accessdate=2006-06-03|publisher=[[Associated Press]]|first=Elizabeth|last=White|title=Bush Plays Straight Man to His Lookalike|date=[[2006-04-30]]}}</ref> &ndash; Colbert delivered a controversial, searing routine targeting the president and the media.<ref name="editor-and-publisher-2006.04.29">{{cite news|url=http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002425363|publisher=[[Editor and Publisher]]|title=Colbert Lampoons Bush at White House Correspondents Dinner -- President Not Amused?|author=E&P Staff|date=[[April 29]] [[2006]]|accessdate=2006-05-07}} ([http://www.banderasnews.com/0605/wr-colbert.htm archived version])</ref> In his politically conservative character from ''The Colbert Report'', Colbert satirized the [[George W. Bush administration]] and the White House press corps with such lines as:
-{{cquote2|I stand by this man. I stand by this man because he stands for things. Not only for things, he stands ''on'' things. Things like aircraft carriers and rubble and recently flooded city squares. And that sends a strong message, that no matter what happens to America, she will always rebound &mdash; with the most powerfully staged photo ops in the world.|S. Colbert<ref name="salon">{{cite news|url=http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2006/05/01/colbert/index_np.html|title=The truthiness hurts|first=Michael|last=Scherer|publisher=[[Salon.com]]|date=[[May 2]], [[2006]]|accessdate=2006-10-22}}</ref>}}
-The performance received a lukewarm response from the audience, and major media outlets paid little attention to it initially. ''[[Washington Post]]'' columnist Dan Froomkin and [[Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism]] professor [[Todd Gitlin]] claimed that this was because Colbert was critical of the Bush administration in the routine.<ref name="blackout">{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2006/05/02/BL2006050200755.html|accessdate=2006-05-07|publisher=[[Washington Post]]|title=The Colbert Blackout|first=Dan|last=Froomkin|date=[[2006-05-02]]}}</ref><ref name="nocomment">{{cite news|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1529981/20060502/index.jhtml?headlines=true|date=[[2006-05-02]]|accessdate=2006-05-07|title=Stephen Colbert's Attack On Bush Gets A Big 'No Comment' From U.S. Media|first=Gil|last=Kaufman|publisher=[[MTV News]]}}</ref> [[Richard Cohen (journalist)|Richard Cohen]], also writing for the ''Washington Post'', responded by claiming that Colbert didn't get media attention because the routine wasn't funny.<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/03/AR2006050302202.html So Not Funny]</ref>  The video of Colbert's performance became an Internet and media sensation,<ref name="cnet">{{cite news|url=http://news.com.com/2061-10802_3-6068398.html|accessdate=2006-05-08|title=Video of Presidential roast attracts big Web audience|author=Greg Sndoval}}</ref><ref name="nytimes-2006.05.22">{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/22/business/media/22colbert.html|title=That After-Dinner Speech remains a favorite dish|publisher=[[New York Times]]|first=Noam|last=Cohen|date=[[May 22]], [[2006]]|accessdate=2006-05-22}}</ref> and ratings for ''The Colbert Report'' rose 37% in the week following the speech.<ref name="nypost">{{cite news|url=http://www.nypost.com/business/65595.htm|title=Colbert Soars|first=Peter|last=Lauria|publisher="[[The New York Post]]|date=[[May 7]], [[2006]]|accessdate=2006-07-07}}</ref> [[Time (magazine)|Time magazine's]] James Poniewozik called it "the political-cultural touchstone issue of 2006."<ref name="death">{{cite news|url=http://time.blogs.com/tuned_in/2006/05/stephen_colbert.html|date=[[May 3]] [[2006]]|accessdate=2006-05-08|title=Stephen Colbert and the Death of "The Room"|publisher=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|first=James|last=Poniewozik}}</ref> Writing six months later, [[New York Times]] columnist [[Frank Rich]] referred to Colbert's speech as a "cultural primary" and christened it the "defining moment" of the [[United States general elections, 2006|2006 midterm elections]].<ref name="nytimes-truthiness-bums">{{cite news | url=http://select.nytimes.com/2006/11/05/opinion/05rich.html | title=Throw the Truthiness Bums Out | first=Frank | last=Rich | date=[[November 5]], [[2006]] | accessdate=2006-11-22}}</ref><ref name="washpost-bubble-trouble">{{cite news | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2006/11/07/BL2006110700726_5.html | title=Bubble Trouble | first=Dan | last=Froomkin | date=[[November 7]], [[2006]] | accessdate=2006-11-22}}</ref>
-===Other work===
-[[Image:Wigfield.jpg|right|thumb|[[Wigfield: The Can Do Town That Just May Not]]]]
-Stephen Colbert is co-author  of the satirical text-and-picture novel ''[[Wigfield: The Can Do Town That Just May Not]]'', which was published in 2003 by [[Hyperion Books]]. The novel was a collaboration between Colbert, Amy Sedaris and Paul Dinello, and tells the story of a small town threatened by the impending destruction of a massive dam. The narrative is presented as a series of fictional interviews with the town's residents, accompanied by photos.  The three authors toured performing an adaptation of ''Wigfield'' on stage the same year the book was released.<ref>{{cite news|title=Daily Show' meets Second City in `Wigfield' tour|first=Nina|last=Metz|publisher=The Chicago Tribune|date=April 27, 2003}}</ref>
-Colbert appeared in a small supporting role in the 2005 film adaptation of ''[[Bewitched (film)|Bewitched]]''. He has made guest appearances on the television series ''[[Curb Your Enthusiasm]]'', ''[[Spin City]]'', and ''[[Law & Order: Criminal Intent]]'', and on the improvisational comedy show ''[[Whose Line is it Anyway?]]''. He also voices the characters of Reducto and Phil Ken Sebben in the [[Cartoon Network]]'s ''[[Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law]]'', which airs as part of the network's [[Adult Swim]] lineup. Colbert also has provided voices for Comedy Central's ''[[Crank Yankers]]'', Cartoon Network's ''[[The Venture Bros.]]'', and ''[[American Dad!]]'', as well as for Canadian animated comedy series ''[[The Wrong Coast]]''.<ref>[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0170306/ Professional credits for Stephen Colbert], from the [[Internet Movie Database]]</ref>
-Colbert filled in for Sam Seder on the second episode of ''[[The Majority Report]]'' on [[Air America Radio]], and has also done reports for ''[[The Al Franken Show]]''. He performed the opening narration of the play ''[[Hedwig and the Angry Inch]]'' on a CD compilation of music from and inspired by the play and film. Colbert read the part of [[Leopold Bloom]] in ''Bloomsday on Broadway XXIV: Love Literature Language Lust: Leopold's Women Bloom'' on June 16, 2005 at Symphony Space in New York City.<ref name="TimeOut"/> He appeared in a series of TV commercials for [[General Motors]], as a not-too-bright investigator searching for the elusive (and non-existent in real life) "[[Mr. Goodwrench]]". He also portrayed the letter Z in ''Sesame Street: All-Star Alphabet'', a 2005 video release.
-Colbert is currently working on a new book that will be published in September 2007 by Warner Books; its title has not yet been announced. [[Warner Books]] was also the publisher of ''[[America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction]]'', written by the ''Daily Show'' staff. The new book is expected to contain similar political satire, but will be written primarily by Colbert rather than as a collaboration with his ''Colbert Report'' writing staff.<ref>{{cite news|title=Colbert riffs put to paper|first=Steven|last=Zeitchik|publisher=Variety Magazine|Date=March 20, 2006|url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117940055.html?categoryid=14&cs=1&nid=2562}}</ref>
-After appearing on the O'Reilly factor on January 18, 2007, Colbert stole a microwave from the Fox News studio and later displayed it on the set of the Colbert Report for the return interview with Bill O'Reilly. A Fox News spokesman confirmed to CNN that Colbert had stolen the microwave, but stated that it was "all in good fun".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/01/19/colbert.oreilly.ap/index.html|title=Meeting of the mouths for O'Reilly and Colbert|publisher=CNN|date=January 19, 2007}}</ref>
-==Honors and awards==
-[[Image:Stephen Colbert truthiness caricature by Greg Williams.png|right|250px|thumb|Caricature of Stephen Colbert, by cartoonist Greg Williams.]]
-*In January 2006, the [[American Dialect Society]] named ''[[truthiness]]'', which Colbert featured on the premiere episode of the ''Colbert Report'', as its 2005 Word of the Year. Colbert devoted time on five successive episodes to [[Truthiness#Alleged snubbing by the Associated Press.2C and Colbert.27s response|bemoaning the failure]] of the ''[[Associated Press]]'' to mention his role in popularizing the word ''truthiness'' in its news coverage of the Word of the Year.<ref name=newsweek2>{{cite news|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11182033/site/newsweek/|title=The Truthiness Teller|first=Marc|last=Peyser|publisher=[[Newsweek]]|date=[[February 16]], [[2006]]}}</ref>
-*In June 2006, after speaking at the school's commencement ceremony, [[Knox College, Illinois|Knox College]] gave Colbert an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts degree. <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.knox.edu/x12687.xml|title=Honorary Degree}}</ref>
-*On December 9, 2006, Merriam-Webster announced that it selected [[truthiness]] as its Word of the Year for 2006.  Votes were accepted on their website, and according to poll results truthiness won by a five-to-one margin.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/TV/12/09/word.year.ap|title='Truthiness' is the word of the year|publisher=[[CNN]]|accessdate=10 December 2006}}</ref>
-*Time Magazine named Stephen Colbert as one of the 100 most influential people in 2006.<ref>{{cite-web|title=Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People, 2006|url=http://www.time.com/time/2006/time100}}</ref>  In May 2006, the New Yorker magazine listed Colbert (along with Jon Stewart of the Daily Show) as one of its top dozen influential persons in media.<ref>{{cite web|title=The New Yorker Magazine's Most Influential People of 2006|url=http://nymag.com/news/features/influentials/16926/}}</ref>
-*Colbert was nominated for three Emmys for ''The Colbert Report'' in 2006, including the "Best Performance in a Variety, Musical Program or Special" award, which he lost to [[Barry Manilow]] — Manilow and Colbert would go on to sign and notarize a revolving biannual "custody agreement" for the Emmy on the Colbert Report episode aired on 30 October 2006.  Colbert's only Emmy in 2006 came as a writer for ''The Daily Show''.
-*Colbert was named "2nd Sexiest TV News Anchor" in September 2006 by [[Maxim (magazine)|Maxim Online]], next to [[Melissa Theuriau]] of France. He was the only man on the list.<ref>[http://www.maximonline.com/slideshows/index.aspx?slideId=2514&imgCollectId=121 TV's Sexiest News Anchors], [[Maxim (magazine)|Maxim Online]]. Retrieved on [[2006]]-[[11-22]].</ref>
-*In November 2006, he was named one of the [[Sexiest Man Alive|Sexiest Men Alive]] by [[People Magazine]].<ref>[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/11/15/earlyshow/leisure/celebspot/main2183165.shtml Sexiest Men Alive], [[CBS News]]. Retrieved on [[2006]]-[[11-15]].</ref>  In the December 2006 issue of [[GQ (magazine)|GQ]], he is named one of GQ's "Men of the Year".<ref>[http://wwd.com/issue/article/110583 GQ's Men of the Year], WWD.com. Retrieved on [[2006]]-[[11-15]].</ref>
-==See also==
-*[[The Second City]]
-*[[Megyeri Bridge]]
-==References==
-<div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;">
-<references/>
-</div>
-==External links==
-{{wikiquote}}
-{{commonscat|Stephen Colbert}}
-{{wikinews|Comedians lampoon Bush at White House Correspondents' Dinner}}
-*[http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/the_colbert_report/index.jhtml The Colbert Report] official site at comedycentral.com
-*[http://www.colbertnation.com Colbert Nation], maintained by Comedy Central
-*{{imdb name|id=0170306|name=Stephen Colbert}}
-*{{nndb name|id=509/000026431|name=Stephen Colbert}}
-*[http://www.wikiality.com/Main_Page Wikiality.com, the Stephen Colbert wiki]
-*[http://www.comedycentral.com/motherload/player.jhtml?ml_video=81003&ml_collection=&ml_gateway=&ml_gateway_id=&ml_comedian=&ml_runtime=&ml_context=show&ml_origin_url=%2Fshows%2Fthe_colbert_report%2Fvideos%2Fmost_recent%2Findex.jhtml&ml_playlist=&lnk=&is_large=true  Bill O'Reilly's visit to The Colbert Report]
-;Audio / Video
-*[http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4630860 'Daily Show' Correspondent Readies 'The Colbert Report'], ''[[All Things Considered]]'' ([[May 4]], [[2005]])
-*[http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5040948 Bluster and Satire: Stephen Colbert's 'Report'], ''[[Fresh Air]]'' ([[December 7]], [[2005]])
-*''60 Minutes'' segment: [http://throwawayyourtv.com/2006/05/stephen-colbert-60minutes-segment.html video] and [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/04/27/60minutes/main1553506.shtml transcript] ([[April 30]], [[2006]])
-*{{google video|-869183917758574879|Colbert Roasts President Bush - 2006 White House Correspondents dinner}}. ([http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/4/30/1441/59811 Full Text Transcript])
-*{{google video|-2504888265369255327|Colbert interviewed by [[Charlie Rose]]}}
-<!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]] -->
-{{clear}}
-{{The Daily Show correspondents}}
-{{The Colbert Report}}
-{{Persondata
-|NAME= Colbert, Stephen Tyrone
-|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
-|SHORT DESCRIPTION= American comedian
-|DATE OF BIRTH= [[May 13]], [[1964]]
-|PLACE OF BIRTH= [[Washington, D.C.]], [[United States]]
-|DATE OF DEATH=
-|PLACE OF DEATH=
-}}
-[[Category:1964 births|Colbert, Stephen]]
-[[Category:American comedians|Colbert, Stephen]]
-[[Category:American film actors|Colbert, Stephen]]
-[[Category:American satirists|Colbert, Stephen]]
-[[Category:American television talk show hosts|Colbert, Stephen]]
-[[Category:American voice actors|Colbert, Stephen]]
-[[Category:Bewitched actors|Cobert, Stephen]]
-[[Category:Catholic comedians|Colbert, Stephen]]
-[[Category:The Colbert Report|Colbert, Stephen]]
-[[Category:Curb Your Enthusiasm actors|Colbert, Stephen]]
-[[Category:The Daily Show correspondents|Colbert, Stephen]]
-[[Category:The Daily Show writers|Colbert, Stephen]]
-[[Category:Fake News anchors|Colbert, Stephen]]
-[[Category:Irish-American actors|Colbert, Stephen]]
-[[Category:Law & Order: Criminal Intent actors|Colbert, Stephen]]
-[[Category:Living people|Colbert, Stephen]]
-[[Category:Saturday Night Live writers|Colbert, Stephen]]
-[[Category:Science fiction fans|Colbert, Stephen]]
-[[Category:Second City alumni|Colbert, Stephen]]
-[[Category:Whose Line Is It Anyway? contestants|Colbert, Stephen]]
-[[Category:Northwestern University alumni|Colbert, Stephen]]
-[[Category:People from Charleston, South Carolina|Colbert, Stephen]]
-[[Category:Roman Catholic entertainers|Colbert, Stephen]]
-[[Category:American Roman Catholics|Colbert, Stephen]]
-[[bn:স্টিফেন কোল‌বেয়ার]]
-[[pdc:Stephen Colbert]]
-[[de:Stephen Colbert]]
-[[fr:Stephen Colbert]]
-[[he:סטיבן קולבר]]
-[[hu:Stephen Colbert]]
-[[nl:Stephen Colbert]]
-[[no:Stephen Colbert]]
-[[simple:Stephen Colbert]]
-[[sv:Stephen Colbert]]
-[[zh:史蒂芬·科拜尔]]