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The Colbert Report

The Colbert Report

Now Showing

The Colbert Report

6.9

Yr 2005

Rt 24m

Status Ended

News Comedy

Series Brief

Overview

The Colbert Report is an American satirical late night television program. It stars political humorist Stephen Colbert, a former correspondent for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. The Colbert Report is a spin-off from and counterpart to The Daily Show that comments on politics and the media in a similar way. The show focuses on a fictional anchorman character named Stephen Colbert, played by his real-life namesake. The character, described by Colbert as a "well-intentioned, poorly informed, high-status idiot", is a caricature of televised political pundits.

Why fans love it

The Colbert Report relies on the sustained commitment of its lead to a single persona. Stephen Colbert inhabits a fictional anchorman who serves as a mirror for the sensationalism and overconfidence often found in cable news punditry. By maintaining a persona described as a well-intentioned but poorly informed idiot, the show lampoons the format of political talk shows while stripping away the pretense of objective reporting.

The program functions as a direct counterpart to The Daily Show, offering a distinct brand of news satire that balances absurdity with biting critique. Guests ranging from politicians like Barbara Boxer to creative figures like J.J. Abrams participate in interviews that treat the host’s heightened reality as absolute truth. This constant performance turns every segment into a test of the host’s ability to remain in character under pressure, creating a rigid structure that remains unpredictable.

Featured Players

Cast 75

J.J. Abrams

as Self

2 episodes

George Stephanopoulos

as Self - Guest

3 episodes

Alan Alda

as Self (uncredited)

2 episodes

as Self

3 episodes

Tom Cruise

as Self (archive footage)

2 episodes

Tim Meadows

as Self

4 episodes

Stephen Colbert

as Self - Host

1447 episodes

Nas

as Self

2 episodes

Kevin Bacon

as Self

2 episodes

as Self

2 episodes

Mark Cuban

as Self

2 episodes

Amy Goodman

as Self

2 episodes

Steve Martin

as Self

2 episodes

as Self

2 episodes

Daniel Ellsberg

as Self

2 episodes

as Self

2 episodes

as Self

2 episodes

Katrina vanden Heuvel

as Self

2 episodes

Neil Young

as Self - Musical Guest

3 episodes

Malcolm Gladwell

as Self

2 episodes

Show all 75 cast

Cornel West

as Self

2 episodes

as Self

2 episodes

Jeff Daniels

as Self

2 episodes

Paul Dinello

as Tad

2 episodes

Tim Robbins

as Self

2 episodes

Al Gore

as Self

2 episodes

Jim Lovell

as Self

2 episodes

Stephen Sondheim

as Self

2 episodes

Toby Keith

as Self

3 episodes

Doris Kearns Goodwin

as Self

3 episodes

Jon Stewart

as Self

9 episodes

Anderson Cooper

as Self (archive footage)

2 episodes

Andrew Sullivan

as Self - Guest

5 episodes

Jack White

as Self

4 episodes

Al Sharpton

as Self (archive footage)

2 episodes

George Saunders

as Self - Guest

3 episodes

as Self

2 episodes

John Legend

as Self

2 episodes

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

as Self

3 episodes

as Self

6 episodes

Reza Aslan

as Self

3 episodes

Lou Dobbs

as Self

4 episodes

Scott McClellan

as Self (archive footage)

2 episodes

Charlize Theron

as Self (archive footage)

2 episodes

Arianna Huffington

as Self

4 episodes

David Copperfield

as Self

2 episodes

Bob Costas

as Self

2 episodes

Maureen Dowd

as Self (uncredited)

2 episodes

David Brooks

as Self

2 episodes

Christiane Amanpour

as Self

4 episodes

2 episodes

Randy Newman

as Self (uncredited)

2 episodes

as Self

5 episodes

Andrew Young

as Self

2 episodes

Charlie Rose

2 episodes

Bill Clinton

as Self (uncredited)

2 episodes

2 episodes

Ken Burns

as Self

5 episodes

John McCain

as Self - Guest

2 episodes

Kevin Spacey

as Self

2 episodes

James Franco

as Self (uncredited)

2 episodes

as Self

2 episodes

as Self (archive footage)

2 episodes

Elijah Wood

as Self (uncredited)

2 episodes

Andy Cohen

as Self - Guest

2 episodes

as Bobby (uncredited)

3 episodes

Henry Kissinger

as Self

3 episodes

David Cross

as Russ Lieber (voice) (uncredited)

3 episodes

as Self

3 episodes

Barney Frank

as Self

3 episodes

as Self

3 episodes

Neil deGrasse Tyson

as Self

3 episodes

as Self - Guest

8 episodes

Thomas L. Friedman

as Self - Guest

3 episodes

Jim Webb

as Self

3 episodes

Production Board

Crew

Production Assistant

Philip Knittel Bryan Dinello Adam Wager Meg DeFrancesco

Camera Operator

Ron Washburn Tore Livia Dante Pagano John Meiklejohn

Editor

Andrew Matheson Josh Weinstein

Gaffer

Costa Leonardos Cory Schaub

Supervising Producer

Paul Dinello Rich Dahm

Creator

Jon Stewart

Executive Producer

Jon Stewart Tom Purcell

Accountant

Joshua Bell

Production Coordinator

Kate Sunbury-Shupp

Co-Executive Producer

Meredith Bennett Barry Julien

Post Production Coordinator

Jeremy Tchaban

Director

Jim Hoskinson

Electrician

Dirk Delacour

Script Supervisor

Deanna Storey

Graphic Designer

Andro Buneta Darryl DeAngelo

Makeup & Hair

Kerrie R. Plant

Lighting Director

Michael Scricca

Executive In Charge Of Production

Lou Wallach

Signal Match

Cast Similarity

Real Time with Bill Maher

13 shared cast members

Shared Barney Frank, Mark Cuban, Michael Moore +10 more

10 shared cast members

Shared Jon Stewart, Michael Moore, Mike Huckabee +7 more

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

7 shared cast members

Shared Ken Burns, Jon Stewart, Anderson Cooper +4 more

5 shared cast members

Shared Charlize Theron, Tim Robbins, Tom Cruise +2 more

What's Next? The Future with Bill Gates

5 shared cast members

Shared Mark Cuban, Anderson Cooper, Thomas L. Friedman +2 more

Late Night with Conan O'Brien

4 shared cast members

Shared Neil Young, Anderson Cooper, Jeff Goldblum +1 more

3 shared cast members

Shared John McCain, Bill Clinton, Al Gore

3 shared cast members

Shared Jon Stewart, J.J. Abrams, Al Gore

3 shared cast members

Shared George Stephanopoulos, Sam Waterston, Anderson Cooper

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

3 shared cast members

Shared Toby Keith, John McCain, Chris Matthews

Signal Match

Crew Similarity

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

10 shared crew members

Shared Paul Dinello, Jon Stewart, Adam Wager +7 more

Roles: Co-Executive Producer, Director, Executive Producer +3 more

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

4 shared crew members

Shared Jeremy Tchaban, Jim Hoskinson, Michael Scricca +1 more

Roles: Director, Lighting Director, Production Manager +1 more

2 shared crew members

Shared Tore Livia, John Meiklejohn

Roles: Camera Operator

2 shared crew members

Shared Jon Stewart, Ben Karlin

Roles: Co-Executive Producer, Executive Producer

2 shared crew members

Shared Tom Purcell, Stephen Colbert

Roles: Executive Producer

The Librarians: The Next Chapter

1 shared crew member

Shared Rebecca Rosenberg

Roles: Executive Story Editor, Writer

Late Night with Conan O'Brien

1 shared crew member

Shared Allison Silverman

1 shared crew member

Shared Ben Karlin

Roles: Executive Producer, Writer

1 shared crew member

Shared Allison Silverman

Roles: Staff Writer

1 shared crew member

Shared Rebecca Rosenberg

Topic Overlay

Topic Keyword Similarity

2 shared keywords

Topics celebrity interview, talk show

Real Time with Bill Maher

2 shared keywords

Topics celebrity interview, talk show

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

1 shared keyword

Topics talk show

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

1 shared keyword

Topics political satire

1 shared keyword

Topics talk show

Late Night with Conan O'Brien

1 shared keyword

Topics talk show

Late Night with Seth Meyers

1 shared keyword

Topics talk show

1 shared keyword

Topics talk show

1 shared keyword

Topics talk show

1 shared keyword

Topics talk show

Keyword Cloud

Keywords

political satire talk show celebrity interview

Next Signal

Similar Shows

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Shared people: 15

Real Time with Bill Maher

Real Time with Bill Maher

Shared keywords: 2

Shared people: 13

The Daily Show

Shared keywords: 1

Shared people: 11

Late Night with Conan O'Brien

Late Night with Conan O'Brien

Shared keywords: 1

Shared people: 5

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

Shared keywords: 1

Shared people: 5

The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

Shared keywords: 1

Shared people: 2

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

Shared keywords: 1

Shared people: 3

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Shared people: 3

See all similar shows →

Technical Sheet

Details

First Aired: October 17, 2005
Status: Ended
Episode Runtime: 24 minutes
Origin: US
TMDB Votes: 296