Stephen Colbert (character)
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- This article is about Stephen Colbert, the character. For the actor who portrays him, see Stephen Colbert.
Comedian and actor Stephen Colbert plays a semi-fictional character on his comedy television program The Colbert Report. Using his real name and keeping his appearance unaltered, he portrays a caricature of a right wing "talking head" commonly seen on cable news.
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[edit] Inspirations
The real Stephen Colbert has explained in interviews that his character is a "well intentioned, poorly informed, high-status idiot" <ref>http://www.jerriblank.com/colbert-report.html</ref>, a parody of pundit show hosts found on American cable television news, in particular Bill O'Reilly, but also with influences from Joe Scarborough and Sean Hannity. Colbert has said the essence of what he felt the need to mock is summed up in a rule Scarborough claimed to adhere to: that he isn't doing his job if he lets his guest speak for more than seven seconds at a time without interruption.<ref>Jacques Steinberg, "The News Is Funny, as a Correspondent Gets His Own Show", The New York Times, 12 October 2005.</ref>
The real Colbert has said he wants to capture some of the "folksiness" and love of his own monologue allegedly portrayed by former CNN anchor Aaron Brown. He has also expressed an interest in emulating the physical appearance of CNN newscaster Anderson Cooper, whom he commends for looking "so put-together". When radio host Terry Gross interviewed Colbert on NPR's Fresh Air, Colbert also cited Stone Phillips, who appeared on the debut episode of the The Colbert Report, as a major influence on his character, particularly Phillips' command of "gravitas". In the same interview Colbert also cited Geraldo Rivera's self-importance as an influence.<ref name="nprgross">Colbert, Stephen. Interview with Terry Gross. "Bluster and Satire: Stephen Colbert's 'Report'." Fresh Air. WHYY. 2005-12-07.
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[edit] Views
The Colbert character is an extremely arrogant, condescending egomaniac who feels strongly about always being right. He is also whimsical and sharp when delivering his opinions. He has little appreciation for books because they are "filled with all facts and no heart. The truth is found in the gut". Colbert claims to be a political independent, although he vilifies liberals and almost always agrees with the actions and decisions of George W. Bush and the Republican party; he frequently asks his guests: "George W. Bush: great president...or the greatest president?" A reflexive American super-patriot, Colbert is often found literally waving an American flag. He tends to be very suspicious of any country other than the United States, though his knowledge of the world - like most subjects - is rather superficial. Colbert's views are a parody of Bill O'Reilly's self-proclaimed status as an independent who holds conservative views. He considers O'Reilly his hero and often refers to him as "Papa Bear". He has stated he could never have achieved the success he has gotten without O'Reilly and The O'Reilly Factor.
Overall, the routine of the character Colbert assumes in the show is centered on egomania and the reduction of complex matters into ludicrously simplified soundbites or arbitrary conclusions, to humorous effect. In the premiere episode, Colbert denied that the show was all about him — even while simultaneously pointing out that his name appears all over the studio set and that his desk is shaped like a giant letter C. Colbert deliberately attempts to foster a cult of personality around himself and the show, referring to his collective supporters as "Colbert Nation" and asking them to (among other things) name things after him and to vandalize Wikipedia in order to re-define reality according to his dictates.
Despite his bravado, the Colbert character is also rather high-strung and tends to panic whenever something violates his world view – such as on those rare occasions when Bush does something he disapproves of. The news of North Korea's nuclear test was particularly jarring for Colbert, causing him to beg for mercy from the Dear Leader.
The Colbert character has a phobia of bears, which he refers to as "godless killing machines without a soul". They often top his "threat downs" — lists of the greatest threats facing America. In his NPR interview with Gross, Colbert (the actor) said that his character's fear of bears is based on his real life childhood nightmare of bears mauling him in his sleep.<ref name="nprgross" />
The character also has a morbid fear of Helen Thomas spawned from his own drive to be named White House press secretary. In the "audition video" (Complete Clip Links Part 1/Part 2), Colbert first tries to answer, then dodge, and futilely attempts to escape Thomas' line of questioning all the way to New York City. This was invoked a few months later during the daily cross-over with Jon Stewart following the latter's Daily Show interview with Thomas, eliciting a shriek of horror from Colbert.
Colbert claims to be racially color-blind and unable to tell what race someone is by looking at them (he later stated a similar inability to distinguish between the sexes), saying that he only "sees an American". In an interview with Eleanor Holmes Norton, he "took her word for it" that he was white and she was a black woman. Colbert enjoys boasting that he has a large number of token minority friends, though all of them (judging from photos shown) seem rather uninterested in him.
Although Colbert claims not to read and to dislike books, he is the author of Alpha Squad 7: Lady Nocturne: A Tek Jansen Adventure, a parody of a Mary Sue science fiction novel from which he occasionally reads excerpts. This is likely a reference to O'Reilly’s detective novel, Those Who Trespass.[citation needed] The title and main character's name may also be a reference to William Shatner's "Tek" series. On July 24, 2006, Comedy Central announced that Oni Press will publish a comic book adaptation of the Tek Jansen novel. <ref>Comedy Central Insider, "Hey Kids, Colbert Comics!" 24 July 2006</ref> <ref>Oni Press Buzz, "Oni to publish Stephen Colbert’s TEK JANSEN & ALPHA SQUAD 7 comics!", 4 August 2006</ref> Colbert has also mentioned on the show that he wants to make a film version of Alpha Squad 7, and would like Natalie Portman to play Lady Nocturne. On August 8, 2006, the first cartoon short of Tek Jansen aired on the Report. Stephen Colbert provides Tek's voice in the animated episodes. Multiple episodes have followed, all mentioning that Tek has "obviously had hundreds of girlfriends."
Colbert also mentions authoring the book The Top 50 States That Are Destroying America, likely a reference to Bernard Goldberg's book 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America.
There have been a few instances that Colbert has also mentioned he is a fan of the West Indian cricket team, as he cites the Antigua Herald as one of his favourite news sources, as it carried coverage of cricket.
[edit] Biography
Most of the biographical details of the "real" Colbert are generally also used for the fictional one. Colbert mentions being born in South Carolina, being married, and having three children and a pet goldfish named Anthrax. He has once stated that he attended Bob Jones University. The Colbert character also claimed to have been in the United States Marine Corps until called on this lie, when he clarified that he was part of a "core" crew of employees at a marina (the "marina core").
It is sometimes implied that Stephen was much less of a "square" when he was younger, including numerous passing references to having first-hand familiarity with recreational drugs such as opiates, marijuana and cocaine as well as a reference to a wild back-packing tour across Europe. At the same time, he demonstrates a certain ignorance about many other recreational drugs; he has repeatedly referred to the act of "smoking the ecstasy pills".
Colbert is frequently shown to have worked in journalism for a long time. Occasionally footage is shown of him as a "young man" (usually with a thick mustache and highly stereotypical 1970s fashions) 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. It appears that in the fictional reality of the Colbert Report, Kevin Spacey performs the acting roles that the real Colbert has done, such as Chuck Noblet in Strangers With Candy.
A running gag has Colbert stalking an ex-girlfriend (and cousin), Charlene. In the 1980s, he was briefly part of an ABC-like New Wave band called "Stephen and the Colberts", none of the other members of which have been seen. The band's only revealed song to date is entitled "Charlene (I'm Right Behind You)" in which Colbert stalks the woman (lyrics include "I think of you, when I dream of you, when I'm takin' pictures of you! I think of you when I'm in a blimp looking down from up above you!"). The video for the song featured Colbert wearing makeup and sporting stereotypical '80s hair while crooning on a rooftop and striking '80s video poses. He also made reference to her in an August 2006 episode, in which his recent Google searches were displayed, some of which referred to a "restraining order" and "Charlene".
[edit] See also
[edit] Special performances
[edit] References
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| Elements: | Better Know A District • Neologism • Truthiness |
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| Related: | Stephen Colbert • Episodes • Correspondents' Dinner • The Daily Show |
[edit] External Links
- VoteColbert.net - Voting site for the Colbert Report's VH1 Big in 2006 nomination
Categories: Articles with unsourced statements | The Colbert Report | Fictional American television characters | Fictional comedy characters | Fictional musicians | Fictional patriots | Fictional reporters | Fictional Republicans | Fictional versions of real people | Fictional Catholics | Fictional Americans | Fictional homophobes | Fictional interviewers
