I’m a big, gigantic fan of Stephen Colbert — and as most people know, this is a BIG year for Stephen. When David Letterman steps down from the Late Show in May, Stephen will take the reigns in September (I can’t believe I have to wait another eight months before seeing him regularly on TV again!). Importantly, Stephen has made it clear that he is opting to no longer “play the role” of the character (who bemusingly shares his name) that made him so popular with my demographic.
Attending a taping of The Colbert Report in NYC
It’s interesting talking with people about Colbert leaving behind his character from The Colbert Report; many people don’t know much about the “real” Stephen Colbert. And as a big fan of Stephen + TCR, I have often been asked the question — how do you feel about Stephen not taking his character with him to the Late Show?
I couldn’t be more excited!
Don’t get me wrong: The Colbert Report was satirical genius, and I already sorely miss it. But, just shy of actually sitting down to interview Colbert, ever since I became a fan of TCR in 2008, I have done everything I can to find out who the man behind the character is. I think three (key) things drew me in: 1) he’s the youngest of eleven children; 2) he’s a major nerd about everything from Lord of the Rings to the political topics he covers; 3) his knowledge of the Catholic faith (as displayed in character, on his show) appeared to be (and I discovered, is) genuine.
Dig a little deeper on just those three topics, and what you find is a compassionate, well-read, intellectual, hilarious man.
To help you see the same, here are some of my favorite “real” Stephen Colbert interviews, quotes, and moments — during all of which he has been out of character:
- “But when you watch the show, if you also like me, that’s because of my mom.” Stephen pays tribute to his mother, Lorna Colbert, after her passing in 2013. This to me is the clearest example of Stephen’s humble sincerity.
He got tearful as he addressed the Colbert Nation about his recent absence from the show due to the death of his mother: “She knew more than her share of tragedy, losing her brother and her husband, and three of her sons. But her love for her family and her faith in God somehow gave her the strength not only to go on, but to love life without bitterness, and to instill in all of us a gratitude for every day we have together. And I know it may sound greedy to want more days with a person who lived so long, but the fact that my mother was 92 does not diminish — it only magnifies — the enormity of the room whose door has now quietly shut.” - He was asked to testify before congress on the issue of rights for Migrant Workers. He obliged – largely in character – but he got serious for a few minutes, as demonstrated in this clip:
“I like talking about people who don’t have any power, and it seems like one of the least powerful people in the United States are migrant workers who come and do our work, but don’t have any rights as a result… And yet, we still invite them to come here, and at the same time ask them to leave. That’s an interesting contradiction to me… And, you know, whatsoever you do for the least of my brothers… And these seem like the least of my brothers right now.” - Possibly my favorite out-of-character Colbert interview, was his interview on the NPR program Fresh Air in 2007; one of many excellent interviews with Terry Gross. He discusses the evolution of The Colbert Report (and the political pundits who inspire it); the “wrist strong” saga; admits to smoking dope as a teenager; and to me, the most fascinating part occurs around 40:30, when he is asked by Terry about raising his kids Catholic.
“My son asked me one day, “Dad what’s hell?”… I said, “If God is love, then hell is the absence of God’s love. Can you imagine how great it is to be loved? Can you imagine how great it is to be loved fully? To be loved totally? To be loved beyond your ability to imagine it? And imagine if you knew that was a possibility, and then that was taken from you, and you know that you would never be loved. Well that’s hell. To be alone, and know what you’ve lost.” And that’s the best I could do.” (I’m no religious scholar, but that is the best answer to that question I’ve ever heard.) - He discusses his book, America Again: Re-Becoming the Greatness We Never Weren’t (in 3-D high-def depthiness), in this 2012 interview with NPR’s Terry Gross.
Colbert demonstrates his knowledge of news and politics in this interview, as Terry Gross discusses several topics with an out-of-character Colbert, including the making of his 3-D book; separation of religion and politics; and why he shares his character’s love of America.
“[America is] the finest opportunity for freedom in the world, and the greatest force for good. And that’s why it’s particularly upsetting when I think that’s being harmed … by personal political ambition.” - Oprah visited Colbert’s home, which resulted in several great interview segments with the “real” Stephen. This one, regarding the tragic loss of his father and two brothers when he was only 10 years old, features great commentary from Stephen about the difference between joy and happiness.
He describes a card that he keeps on his desk, given to him by Jesuit priest and author — and Colbert Report chaplain — Father Jim Martin. The card contains the quote “Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God” and he goes on to say, “Joy can be hard. Joy is not the same thing as happiness. I think happiness is overrated… [I’d rather be joyful than just happy], or even be sad with the people you love — because that’s real.”
PS – all the segments from the Oprah interview are worth viewing! - An interview with Parade magazine in 2007 offers a lot of great insight into the ‘real’ Stephen Colbert (he actually admitted in one of his interviews with Terry Gross, he regretted ‘over-sharing’ about his personal life in that Parade interview).
Regarding his obsession with Lord of the Rings: “There are such great role models in that book. Aragorn in the book especially. … [H]e’s an Apollonian ideal of a man. He is a warrior and a hunter and a poet and a scholar and a woodsman and a healer. Everything in moderation, everything done beautifully. And a peacemaker… When I was in my twenties, I thought, “That’s a good model.” I mean, not in any way that I base myself [on], but that’s a lovely message.” - Another snippet of that Parade interview can be found here. This is where Colbert is famously quoted about comedy helping us to overcome fear: “Not living in fear is a great gift, because certainly these days we do it so much. And do you know what I like about comedy? You can’t laugh and be afraid at the same time. If you’re laughing, I defy you to be afraid.”
- Colbert drops by Slate Political Gabfest Live (a weekly podcast) and backs up his claim that he is fan of the show + demonstrates his impressive knowledge of American history.
- In 2014, Stephen Colbert took part in the “Ask a Grown Man” series by Rookie Magazine. He dons his fatherly cap as he addresses some questions from teens.
- This 2012 New York Times profile of Colbert has been referenced quite a lot, and rightfully so, because there are definitely great Colbert quotes in it.
Bringing us full-circle, he again describes how monumental his mother was in teaching him important life lessons: “[My mother] taught me to be grateful for my life regardless of what that entailed, and that’s directly related to the image of Christ on the cross and the example of sacrifice that he gave us. What she taught me is that the deliverance God offers you from pain is not no pain — it’s that the pain is actually a gift. What’s the option? God doesn’t really give you another choice.”
Hard to say what Stephen will have in store for the Late Show when he is introduced as the new host in September — but I feel sure that I will not be disappointed. I can’t wait for all of us to be come better-acquainted with the “real” Stephen Colbert.
<<If you can’t get enough Colbert, here are a few other interviews and appearances to check out:>>
- From a private event at Fordham University, Colbert sat down with Cardinal Timothy Dolan (archbishop of the archdiocese of New York). The New York Times had a great overview of the event, as well as this article from the National Catholic Register
- Colbert interviews Neil deGrasse Tyson for a fascinating discussion about the universe, outer space, and other science topics.
- At an event at the Harvard University Institute of Politics, Stephen gives great insight about his show and takes questions from the audience.
- Stephen’s message for the “It Gets better” campaign.
- He delivered the commencement address at Northwestern University in 2011 out of character (starting at 16:45, his remarks about how life is an improvisation are great), and the Valedictory address at University of Virginia in 2013.
- Colbert has a “Catholic Throwdown” with Jack White.
Right in your own backyard... 