It was the Colbert Report (that he pronounced as rapport) . Prior to that he was a writer on the ill-fated Dana Carvey Show when he was at Second City with Steve Carrell. Their TV funhouse from TDCS was picked up by SNL and he was involved in numerous sketches, most notably The Ambiguously Gay Duo.

Carrell was on the Daily Show several times and he helped get Colbert on the show using their prior working relationship

I was a faithful watcher of Letterman. Less so towards the end because the both of us just...well...got older, I guess.

I watched Colbert early on but drifted offf rom that long before he decided he was the conscience of the nation.

I absolutely despise the fact that Colbert's show has consistently had the highest ratings in the late night category. Glad to see him gone. Good riddance. Go hate President Trump on your own time.

YellAg2004 said:

---

I used to watch the Daily Show every night when I first graduated. It was humorous, the writing seemed to poke fun at politics in general, and both sides were fair game. Colbert's portion of the show was as the over-the-top conservative, and it was funny.

Then came Obama in 2008 and instead of continuing to take shots at both parties (like South Park), all the jokes became angled at anyone opposing Obama/democrats (i.e. conservatives). At first it was funny, but somewhere along the way, the jokes went from light hearted and funny to mean spirited.

---

The Daily Show always leaned left, it was clear where Stewart's political allegiances were. However, he was actually a talented comedian who could make you laugh - even at your own side. It was probably 60-40 Bush/Republican humor vs. Dem humor...but he highlighted a lot of ridiculous things on both sides. His facial expressions and delivery style also helped make the content hit just right.

Colbert, on the other hand, built his brand on playing a fake conservative character that was intended to mock conservatives. It went over a lot of people's heads initially and many thought he was one of them, but he wasn't. Still, the schtick at least produced some humor. It was more silly and over-the-top...not mean spirited.

With Obama, I think this is where the virtue signalers really started taking over content. It's like they were afraid to truly mock him and his policies/beliefs. These Bush-era shows that built their brands on clowning authority all of a sudden started pulling back. TDS and Colbert started doing more of their 'fake interviews' and content that really played up the whole narrative that the main critics of Obama were overzealous Christians, simpleton old people, or closet racists. As more of the far-left ideas started becoming part of the Obama-era policies...they backed off from clowning the fringe-left.

Then they took to a whole new low with Trump. The mean spirited humor that would surface occasionally in the Bush era became the norm, and it never left. Even when Biden became President, the comedy shows focused their jokes on Trump and Trump voters as if he was still President. Biden was an afterthought...the elephant in the room they didn't want to touch because something was actually wrong with him.

The only comedy show even resembling the original Daily Show is Gutfeld. He sarcastically mocks both sides (even if he leans right) more than any comedy show today. He's the clown with few boundaries while the other comedy shows have become the sour old guys.

Sour old White guys.

Burdizzo said:

---

Obama was a big turning point for this country. The problem wasn't that he was black. The problem was that no one criticized him for fear of being called a racist. The consequence was that a lot of really bad policy got enacted and accepted as norm because no one would speak up. Moreover, a lot of people doubled down on that and just outright kissed his ass to be in the cool, anti-racist, social justice club.

When Donald Trump started obnoxiously criticizing him, he and all his supporters were immediately branded as racist, and it continues today

---

The Obama era gave the Left a free pass from having to actually defend policies and ideas. Instead, they simply portrayed anyone who questioned him as overzealous, paranoid, old, simple-minded, or especially a racist.

All they cared was that he won and the Republicans lost, nothing else really mattered. Which is truly ironic, because that same crowd has been losing their minds over the past 10 years with (some, not all) Trump supporters dunking on them in a similar way...but they pretend like it all started with the Trump era.

Colbert aside

Traditional late night shows and television in general are a dying medium

To realise that and then produce a show or programming that alienates large portions of possible viewership will only hasten its demise

It will cease to be or move to alternative methods of viewership

It was a bit apparently.

CBS pays for BMI license where Linus and Lucy are in the catalog.

https://www.ascap.com/repertory#/ace/search/workID/903449204?page=1

It's also not shot live, lol. They could have edited/pulled the episode if the network wanted.

johnnyblaze36 said:

---

one safe place said:

---

I have never watched a single second of his show (nor the other talking heads like Kimmel) but he looks like a total dufus and from what I have read, that is what he is.

---

Correct:

---

I didn't know Colbert was gay until that clip. He's definitely gay.

Trump with a posterizing dunk

pic.twitter.com/LU644jFVH2

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 22, 2026

Why is schumer and his cast of idiots still wearing a mask in 2026?

drewser95 said:

---

https://instagr.am/p/DYpBivkCIJZ

SIAP. Burning the last bridge down with that level of pettiness is a great way to minimize one's chances of being hired again.

---

I hope it was some Eagles music.

agent-maroon said:

---

Why is schumer and his cast of idiots still wearing a mask in 2026?

---

Five year old video. This is an all-encompassing "crap on Colbert" thread.

YellAg2004 said:

---

I used to watch the Daily Show every night when I first graduated. It was humorous, the writing seemed to poke fun at politics in general, and both sides were fair game. Colbert's portion of the show was as the over-the-top conservative, and it was funny.
.

---

None of that was ever true. You were just too young to realize it. Liebowitz has always been a far left hack.

Good Riddance.

He's a clown that sells a product, made some money, and thumbs his nose at everyone else.

The world doesn't need any more people like that.

RINO Safari said:

---

I absolutely despise the fact that Colbert's show has consistently had the highest ratings in the late night category. Glad to see him gone. Good riddance. Go hate President Trump on your own time.

---

Rejoice in the fact that your statement is not a fact and that Greg Gutfeld has been the king of late night for many years now in regards to ratings.

https://www.amazon.com/King-Late-Night-Greg-Gutfeld/dp/150119075X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3UTCFARZZZCSM&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Li-fIs7m7Ry55qmN48p3J7ZZPUKOLVGXiNPFDi_kAX_Kk3M8s7AUlmHGQKH4HKJe_B9lPJPo87tSzZDyGrMaLiipqFKbZuuJBUf3aLeYjHF_q-saVQNEJpBZa9zdtoyw0xLbNuKN8jLcalXScxEFm-NWvMA_xVejeGuxyU-m-7BgvD3bH0BrI37az1SyTWSlZsBqK2wQElcdRrmy018MLoIgBCcJYG5q9K-ZL1PVNBBncLptkqV7maOt5qtwT1WA9lMNAOGA5q9PtuFi-q4DZHHJ6xz70ADoiDiNyaYkNpA.kCKwx3Knia_pbN9k6lcyc2-4MSogb4_uukPO93NYf8Y&dib_tag=se&keywords=greg+gutfeld+books&qid=1779523298&sprefix=greg+gutfeld+books+%2Caps%2C471&sr=8-1

ETA: I swear that link goes direct to amazon and won't give your computer a virus.

Good. Kimmel and the view are next on the chopping block.

I haven't watched a minute of "late night comedy" since Johnny Carson

torrid said:

---

agent-maroon said:

---

Why is schumer and his cast of idiots still wearing a mask in 2026?

---

Five year old video. This is an all-encompassing "crap on Colbert" thread.

---

Then why isn't colbert wearing his mask?

pacecar02 said:

---

Colbert aside

Traditional late night shows and television in general are a dying medium

To realise that and then produce a show or programming that alienates large portions of possible viewership will only hasten its demise

It will cease to be or move to alternative methods of viewership

---

This is true.
A point I recall a podcast series, "Business Wars" I used to listen to made. Several factors put the pinch on late night TV programming, and these pre-date increased work from home, so many of the cultural and societal habits just weren't un-done to bring viewers back. Among those

• Longer morning commutes -- gotta go to bed earlier to get up earlier
• Kids schools starting earlier -- again early to bed early to rise
• Social media republishing just the monologues -- why stay up when the bit you want will be on YT
• More Social Media reduced the "need" for rising comics and acts to get appearances on these shows... Bands used to go on Carson et al to play a sneak peak of the first single off a new album

Younger generations just aren't watching TV, they are in their phones. The viewership of late night TV is never going to rise again I am afraid.

As noted by a FNC article I just perused, this could be why they're losing $40M/year

By contrast, my wife and I were in the audience for two tapings of Gutfeld last summer. The studio is the size of an average college lecture room and the staff may have been 20 people, including janitors.

Over/under for the number of writers in that group is 4.5.

O/U for the number of writers who will be working in the same capacity 5 years from now is 0.5

Kenneth_2003 said:

---

pacecar02 said:

---

Colbert aside

Traditional late night shows and television in general are a dying medium

To realise that and then produce a show or programming that alienates large portions of possible viewership will only hasten its demise

It will cease to be or move to alternative methods of viewership

---

This is true.
A point I recall a podcast series, "Business Wars" I used to listen to made. Several factors put the pinch on late night TV programming, and these pre-date increased work from home, so many of the cultural and societal habits just weren't un-done to bring viewers back. Among those

• Longer morning commutes -- gotta go to bed earlier to get up earlier
• Kids schools starting earlier -- again early to bed early to rise
• Social media republishing just the monologues -- why stay up when the bit you want will be on YT
• More Social Media reduced the "need" for rising comics and acts to get appearances on these shows... Bands used to go on Carson et al to play a sneak peak of the first single off a new album

---

That last point was brought up by a comedian guest on the Smartless podcast I listened to recently. Can't recall who. But back then Carson, Letterman, and early Leno were where you went to get discovered. Guest made the point that they only watched late night shows to see who the comedian was going to be.

Those days are long, long gone. Netflix seems to own the market on stand up comedy now.

Squadron7 said:

---

Urban Ag said:

---

As noted by a FNC article I just perused, this could be why they're losing $40M/year

---

Anyone else struck by the lack of diversity here?

---

Why do you need diversity when you have the all knowing, overeducated, white liberal female?

LOL. Nobody watched this **** either.

https://www.nbcnews.com/video/colbert-comes-back-to-late-night-to-host-public-access-program-in-michigan-263858757851

I can'r wait for this thread to drop into oblivion. Not because the substance shared, but it means Colbert is the irrelevant, attention deprived nobody that he so richly deserves to be.

deddog said:

---

Squadron7 said:

---

Urban Ag said:

---

As noted by a FNC article I just perused, this could be why they're losing $40M/year

---

Anyone else struck by the lack of diversity here?

---

Why do you need diversity when you have the all knowing, overeducated, white liberal female?

---

Don't forget about their counterparts, the male feminists.