Stephen Colbert
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert is an American comedian, writer, producer, actor, media critic, and television host. He currently hosts the late-night television talk show The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionTV Show Host
Date of Birth13 May 1964
CountryUnited States of America
interviews boards partners
For me, improvisation is about working with a partner. That is much easier to do in the interview, because you have a sounding board.
home thinking effort
Once I'm performing the show, I think that hour show has a certain intimacy with our audience. And that intimacy is through the lens and the live audience is a witness to that, whereas the audience at home is actually the object of my efforts.
writing athletic intellectual
Writing and producing the show is an intellectual process. Performing the show is far more athletic and intuitive, because you don't get to do it twice. It helps if you've done whatever the old saw is, 10,000 hours of it. Because I've done 10,000 hours of comedy, I have this database in my mind of what works and what doesn't work.
believe talking people
I believe that people, more often than not, act with the best possible intentions. And when they don't, that's funny to me. That's why comedy ends up seeming cynical, because you're talking about the gap between what people say and what they do.
real people shadow
We are the shadow cast by real people. And that shadow changes shape as the news cycle changes shape, so you always have fresh dirt to dig in.
games resolution follow-through
It's much better to invite the audience to be part of your show rather than saying, "I command you to do this." The other thing is, you have to follow through. If you initiate a game and they take part, you can't stop until it reaches a mutually satisfying resolution.
character interviews shows
If I'm doing a talk show or an interview, or pretty much anything where I can't control the context, I'm loath to do the character.
character reality discovery
We [comics] create our own reality on the show. I'm in a cocoon of the character's creation. Even within that reality, he's in a cocoon. While I'm an improviser and enjoy discovery, the show follows a script. I have a pretty good idea what's going to happen. It's a very crafted, controlled environment.
passion sound opinion
You have to have a passionate opinion; otherwise you sound false. You end up telling the audience jokes they've already heard.
book heart reality
I don't like books, they're all fact, no heart.
email messages sound
Mitt Romney's email was hacked! So if you start getting messages that sound like they're from a bot, he's fixed the problem.
funny sex book
I've always been a big fan of beauty. Sure, you can't judge a book by its cover but who wants to have sex with a book?
funny people four
Asia: Four little letters, three billion little people.
character wonderful
Shamelessness is a wonderful part of the character.