Stephen Colbert (character)

This article is about Stephen Colbert, the character. For the actor who portrays him, see Stephen Colbert. For the Comedy Central series in which he stars, see The Colbert Report.

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Stephen Colbert playing "Stephen Colbert" on The Colbert Report

Stephen Colbert (Pronounced: [kolˈbɛɹ]) is a character played by comedian and actor Stephen Colbert, pioneered on The Daily Show and expanded on The Colbert Report. Using his real name, he portrays a lively caricature of a news pundit commonly seen on cable news. His character and the format of his show are mainly a parody of Bill O'Reilly of The O'Reilly Factor and other pundit news shows.

Non-fictional elements

Parodying personality-driven political pundit programs such as Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, The Colbert Report is largely centered on the personal views of its host. As such, the personality and beliefs of the character of Stephen Colbert are continually developed over the course of the show, as is a fictitious backstory, typically revealed piecemeal in short monologues accompanying a part of his show, which often gives precedent to his opinions on current affairs.

Certain elements of the character are drawn from Colbert's own life. Both the real Colbert and the character hail from Charleston, South Carolina; both are the youngest of 11 children; both played Dungeons and Dragons avidly as teenagers; and both are practicing Roman Catholics. In an appearance at Harvard University in 2006, the comedian revealed that his character's fear of bears was in part inspired by a recurring nightmare the actual Colbert has had, in which a bear is standing between him and his goal. Colbert is a fan of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy and this often shows through in his character, who has a chocolate portrait of Viggo Mortensen (who portrayed Aragorn in the film trilogy, and briefly reprised the role in the Report's September 13, 2007 episode) in a place of honor on his shelf.

From time to time, Colbert has mentioned his (real-life) siblings on the show. In one episode, he declared his brother Ed, a lawyer who advises the International Olympic Committee, "on notice" for refusing to grant the show the rights to air footage of a dispute between two American speed skaters.

After the actual Colbert received an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Knox College, the show began listing his name in the ending credits as "Dr. Stephen T. Colbert, D.F.A." and the character will sometimes refer to the degree and the qualifications he mistakenly believes it bestows on him during the show.

In late June 2007, the comedian broke his left wrist on the set of the Report and was forced to wear it in a cast. This quickly became a regular source of comedy on the show as the self-absorbed character requested his audience send flowers, launched a campaign against Hollywood's supposed glorification of "wrist violence", started a "wrist awareness" program with "Wriststrong" silicone bracelets, and developed an addiction to prescription painkillers. He continues to wear the "Wriststrong" silicone bracelet, despite the fact that his wrist has healed.

On August 23, 2007, the cast was removed and was put up for auction to the general public, complete with celebrity signatures, on eBay. All the proceeds went to the Yellow Ribbon Fund . The winning bid was $17,200. Cast signers include: Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City; CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric; Bill O'Reilly, host of FOX's The O'Reilly Factor; Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of U.S. House of Representatives; Tim Russert, host of NBC's Meet The Press; Tony Snow, former White House Press Secretary; and NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams.

Influences

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Colbert cites Bill O'Reilly, among others, as a source of inspiration for the character.

Colbert has cited several media personalities as sources of inspiration for the character. He frequently points to Stone Phillips, whom he describes as having "the greatest neck in journalism", and to Geraldo Rivera, "because he’s got this great sense of mission. He just thinks he’s gonna change the world with this report." Bill O'Reilly, whom the character Colbert describes as "Papa Bear", is another obvious point of reference. In a 2006 episode of The Colbert Report, Colbert remarked that, "if it wasn’t for [O'Reilly], this show wouldn’t exist." The comedian has also cited Aaron Brown (for his "folksiness"), Anderson Cooper (for his "sexiness"), Sean Hannity and Joe Scarborough as having an influence over his performance. Colbert makes numerous references in the Report to his character's prescription drug abuse, possibly in reference to Rush Limbaugh's past addiction to painkillers.

Fictional biography

Colbert's fictional history is not always rigidly adhered to by the show's writers. The comedian himself notes that, "My character's history may not always be perfectly consistent … There's my bio and there's my character's bio, and then there's my character's history, which is slightly different than my character's bio."

Stephen T. Colbert was born as the youngest of eleven into a devout Roman Catholic family—so devout, in fact, that his parents sent him to an exorcism day-camp after he developed an interest in Dungeons & Dragons. In his appearance on The O'Reilly Factor, he stated he is of Irish descent and only claims to be French to lure liberals on to his show. Colbert has made conflicting statements regarding his middle name, which he has at different times stated to be Tyrone (like that of the actor) and Tiberius (like Captain James T. Kirk).

Colbert was regularly beaten up in high school, and by the time he left for college he was determined never to be a victim again. As such, on the first day of his freshman year he walked into class and punched the first person he saw (unfortunately, this happened to be his ethics professor). He attended Dartmouth College—although his acceptance into the university appears to have been largely influenced by a claimed familial relationship with a wealthy donor—and graduated in the top 47 percent of his class with a major in history. He has also referred to Bob Jones University as an alma mater.

Prior to embarking on a career in journalism, Colbert worked as a carnival roustabout and a construction worker. During the 1980s, Colbert was the lead singer and guitarist of an ABC-like New Wave band called "Stephen and the Colberts." The band's only revealed song to date is entitled "Charlene (I'm Right Behind You)", one of numerous references to an ex-girlfriend (and cousin) whom he continues to stalk despite numerous restraining orders.

Colbert then moved into reporting, working in TV news for several stations in Virginia and North Carolina. Occasionally footage is shown of him as a "young man" working as an anchor at a local news station in Patterson Springs, North Carolina, still displaying his trademark outrage over minor municipal issues in the manner of 20/20 correspondent John Stossel. In 1997, Colbert was promoted to anchor of the Channel 7 News on WPTS Patterson Springs after outing the previous anchor, Wayne Colt, for his cocaine addiction. His ensuing investigative reports into the downfall of Colt earned him a local Emmy, and eventually a correspondent position at The Daily Show.

Colbert has recently released a book entitled I Am America (And So Can You!), rumoured by some (invariably Colbert himself) to be a sign that he is testing the waters for a future presidential bid. Colbert confirmed his presidential ambitions on his October 16, 2007 show, stating that he was running both on the Republican and Democratic platforms, but only as a favorite son in his native South Carolina. This announcement came after months of refusing to either confirm or deny these ambitions, stating that he must first talk the possibility over with his family. In an interview with Larry King he revealed that he would consider Mike Huckabee (who himself has offered Colbert the vice presidential position) as his running mate. He has also speculated on the possibility of a Colbert-Putin or Colbert-Colbert ticket.

Views

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The "Eagle's Nest", with its many references to Colbert, reflects the character's self-aggrandizing style.

Described by his creator and namesake as a "well-intentioned, poorly-informed, high status idiot" and by others, less charitably, as a "caustic right-wing bully", the Colbert character is egomaniacal, xenophobic and fiercely anti-intellectual. He claims to be politically independent, like his idol Bill "Papa Bear" O'Reilly; in reality, he fawns over the Bush administration and the Republican Party, and can frequently be heard asking his guests, "George Bush: Great president, or the greatest president?"

Colbert has a deep-seated phobia of bears, which he describes as "godless killing machines" and which frequently top his list of threats to America.

A recurring aspect of Colbert's persona is his belief that reality can be determined by consensus opinion. His concept of Wikiality is, according to Colbert, based around the idea of bringing democracy to knowledge; if a majority of the population wants something to be true, it therefore must become the truth. For example, on one of the rare occasions when Colbert concedes a point to liberalism, he admits that global warming exists, not because of scientific evidence, but because "Al Gore's movie made money; the free market has spoken."

Colbert is racially color-blind and unable to visually identify one's race; Colbert has explained this thus: "Now, I don't see race … People tell me I'm white, and I believe them, because I own a lot of Jimmy Buffett albums." He later stated a similar inability to distinguish between the sexes, saying that he only "sees an American." Colbert often boasts that he has a large number of token minority friends (including Jon Stewart as "[his] Jewish friend"), though all of them (judging from photos shown) seem rather uninterested in him.

Despite his apparent bravado, Colbert's character has a very weak inner core which the comedian will frequently expose during the course of the show. In one instance, Colbert demanded one of his staff members subject him to simulated waterboarding, only to break down into pleas for mercy upon hearing a water bottle cap popped. These status shifts comprise a central component of the show's comedy.

Colbert's self-aggrandizing nature is reflected in his frequent promotion of his own merchandise, including colognes, science fiction novels, medication and his own sperm.

Special performances

• White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, April 29, 2006.
• Stephen Colbert's Commencement Address at Knox College, June 3, 2006.
• A Conversation With Stephen Colbert, Harvard Institute of Politics, October 1, 2006.
• Florida State University's Pow-Wow Homecoming Celebration, November 17, 2006.

See also

• Wikiality
• Tek Jansen
• Truthiness

External links

• Colbert Nation—The official Colbert Report website, featuring daily reports of the show and videos.
• Wikiality.com—A Wikipedia parody based on Colbert's idea of Wikiality.