10 Incredible Stephen Colbert Moments That Prove He’s Perfect For The Late Show
The world's funniest talk show host begins a new chapter.
When Stephen Colbert was picked as David Letterman's successor, it was definitely a surprising decision. Suddenly this guy from Comedy Central who has been playing a character for nine years would be taking on the biggest talk show in the world, but now without his famous persona. Was that really going to work?
In retrospect, Colbert was a brilliant pick. He's one of the best comedians of modern times, and he's got everything you'd want out of a late night host. He's great at engaging his audience, making them feel like a part of the show with running bits that require participation like having everyone flood an online poll. He's an excellent interviewer, asking genuinely engaging and smart questions both in and out of character. He's also a phenomenal improviser, and he and his staff frequently turn the unexpected little quirks of running a TV show into hilarious events.
For all these reasons, he's the ideal candidate, and his Late Show has potential to be one of the funniest, most well written, and most watched talk shows on television in quite some time. As a tribute to where he came from and an exploration of what's so great about him, here are 10 iconic Colbert moments that prove he's perfect for Late Show.
10. Learning About Super PACs
Stephen Colbert always liked shedding light on important issues through comedy, and there's no greater example of that than the Colbert Super PAC saga. In order to demonstrate how easy it is for any politician to form a Super PAC and rake in unlimited amounts of anonymous campaign contributions, Colbert decided to form a totally real Super PAC of his very own.
Throughout the whole ordeal, Colbert would frequently have his lawyer on to ask questions about the process, and half the time, the audience would be laughing at how ridiculously easy it all was. In one episode, he talks with Trevor Potter about how he can take all the money out of the Super PAC, keep it for himself, and not have to disclose what he does with it. It's shockingly simple, and all he does is transfer about $800,000 over into a secret 501(c)(4). From there, nobody has to know where it all went, and that seriously is how it works.
"So I write a cheque from my Super PAC to my 501(c)(4) to my second secret 501(c)(4), and [...] neither I, nor me, nor me is responsible for what happens with the money," Colbert summarizes. The rapport between Colbert and his lawyer is hilarious, but the series of segments also really informed a lot of people about the issue of money in politics.