Cultural impact of The Colbert Report
Encyclopedia
The Colbert Report, which premiered in American cable television on October 17, 2005, has had a cultural impact since its inception, when the show introduced Truthiness as a word. Issues in and references to American and world culture are attributed to the character played by Stephen Colbert
, who calls his followers the Colbert Nation.
, then the Democratic Caucus chair, instructed incoming freshmen not to do appearances on the show. Colbert responded by issuing an "Editing Challenge" on his March 26, 2007 broadcast. The challenge directs viewers to the Colbert Nation website to obtain an extended interview with Colbert, conducted by Gwen Ifill
, which viewers may then edit to make him look as ridiculous as the representatives. However, The Colbert Report has never followed through on the contest, with not one entry being aired and no further reference to the contest ever being made on the show.
", Colbert has coined other terms including "freem", which is "freedom without the do, because I do it all for you." Other words include: "eneagled", a blend
of "enabled" and "eagle", thus meaning "to be given the characteristics of an eagle" and "mantasy", meaning male fantasies, such as running away from the wife to become free, a word to which Colbert claims to hold a trademark. Recently, he coined the word "engayify" meaning "to gay it up."
, which he refers to as his favorite website, generally in "The Wørd" segment. Colbert's first reference to Wikipedia was on the July 31, 2006 broadcast, when "The Word" was Wikiality, defined as the concept that "together we can create a reality that we all agree on—the reality we just agreed on." The premise of wikiality is that reality is what the wiki says it is. He explained that on Wikipedia "any user can change any entry, and if enough users agree with them, it becomes true." He also told his viewers to go onto Wikipedia, in the article elephant
s, and to edit it so that it would say: "Elephant population in Africa has tripled over the past six months." The suggestion resulted in numerous changes to Wikipedia articles related to elephants and Africa. Editing of the concerned articles was restricted to prevent further edits.
Other "Words" invented relating to Wikipedia include "Wikilobbying", regarding which Colbert explained "when money determines Wikipedia entries, reality has become a commodity", alluding to a case in which Microsoft
allegedly hired someone to tamper with Wikipedia, and "Self-determination
", where corporations are allowed to act out their fantasies online by editing their own Wikipedia entries. Colbert described Wikipedia as "Second Life
for corporations", saying if a corporation wants to pretend to be someone else online, then that is their business.
In another episode, the guest Dan Zaccagnino was discussing his new wiki where readers can share their musical compositions. Colbert compared this to "wiki-wiki-wikipedia."
On May 24, 2007, the guest was Jimmy Wales
, the co-founder of Wikipedia. Stephen Colbert called Wikipedia a "battlefield for information", a tool which "brings democracy to information" and moves away from the views of the "elite who study things and got to say what is or is not real". During the interview, Colbert showed a sentence on the screen: "Librarians are hiding something." Wales could not see it, with the implication that Wales could not personally stop a critical mass of individuals from editing a page when he did not know which page was the target. Wales responded that "the interesting thing about The Colbert Report is that Wikipedians watch it."
On June 9, 2008, Colbert mentioned Warren G. Harding
as being a "secret negro president", and said that for proof, "the G stands for Gangsta" which he changed on Wikipedia so that he could cite a source. This resulted in various attempts at vandalism to support Colbert's claim.
On June 6, 2011, Colbert encouraged viewers to modify the Wikipedia entry on bells
to support Sarah Palin's mistaken claims that they were used during Paul Revere
's "midnight ride".
In 2006, the Ministry of Transport of Hungary
launched an online call for public suggestions to name a future motorway bridge
over the Danube
, just north of Budapest
. Ministry officials said the Hungarian Geographical Name Committee would choose from among the three submitted candidates with the most votes, guided by suggestions submitted by "local governments, cartographers, linguists, and other experts". Users offered hundreds of suggestions, among them the "'You Can Go To Bratislava But Not Over This Bridge' Bridge" and the "Chuck Norris Bridge", which led in votes for some time. Colbert noted the effort in his "Tip of the hat, wag of the finger" segment on August 9, and in the following weeks, he continued to ask viewers to vote for him. On August 22, Hungarian news sites reported Colbert had won the first round of voting with 17,231,724 votes, which is 7 million more people than there are in all of Hungary. Hungary changed the voting rules after the members of the Colbert Nation Forums developed a bot
to stuff the ballot box, requiring registration to vote in the second phase. That night, Colbert asked his viewers to cease their efforts, and offered apologies, spending a segment honoring Hungary, its history, and its contributions to the world.
On September 14, 2006 Colbert introduced his guest András Simonyi
, Ambassador of the Republic of Hungary
to the United States. The ambassador
presented Mr. Colbert with a declaration certifying him as the winner of the second and final round of voting. The document bore the signatures of Hungarian government
officials and the country's official seal
. Included in the text, as read by the ambassador, were two important conditions required for the name of the bridge to be made official. First, Colbert must be fluent
in Hungarian
. Colbert responded by pronouncing the Hungarian name Nicholas Zrinyi (incorrectly referring to Miklós Zrínyi
) and híd (meaning 'bridge' in Hungarian); Simonyi quickly certified him as fluent. The second requirement proved more onerous: To have the bridge named after him, Colbert would have to be deceased. Colbert protested, but the ambassador presented him with a Hungarian passport
and 10,000 Hungarian Forint (HUF
), noting that this would allow Colbert to enter Hungary at any time, without restriction. He also brought attention to the portrait
of King St. Stephen, the first King of Hungary, on the 10,000 HUF bill. Finally Simonyi implied that the question of Colbert's ineligibility by virtue of being alive might be resolved if Colbert were to accept an invitation to visit the bridge site
in Budapest
; Colbert responded by trying to bribe the ambassador with the 10,000 HUF bill. On September 28, 2006, it was announced that the bridge will be named "Megyeri Bridge", although the name did not make it to the second round. According to the Geographical Name Committee, the name was selected because the bridge connects Káposztásmegyer with Békásmegyer
.
unveiled a new ice cream flavor in honor of Stephen Colbert, named Stephen Colbert's AmeriCone Dream
. Colbert waited until Easter
to sample the ice cream because he "gave up sweets for Lent
." Colbert will donate all proceeds to charity through the new Stephen Colbert AmeriCone Dream Fund, which will distribute the money to various causes.
, founder of Creative Commons
, which lets authors of creative works share them with the world. This type of fan involvement is similar to the Colbert Green Screen Challenge, which focuses on video content editing.
, Mike Huckabee
, or himself as his running mate. Colbert declared that he was only running in South Carolina
, his home state, and was contemplating running for both the Republican
and Democratic
parties as a "favorite son
." Colbert covered his story in the segment "The Hail to the Cheese Stephen Colbert NachoCheese Doritos
2008 Presidential Campaign Coverage" and promoted his campaign on his special election website colbert08.org, as under law he cannot use colbertnation.com.
On October 21, 2007, Colbert was interviewed by host Tim Russert
on NBC
's Meet The Press
. Colbert explained why he changed the pronunciation of his name (from "COLE-Bert" to "Cole-BEAR"), demanded to know whether Russert believes that God supports our enemies in Iraq and revealed that he had no interest in winning the Presidency (he just wanted to run).
On November 1, 2007, the executive council of the South Carolina Democratic Party
voted 13-3 to keep his name off the ballot and refunded his US$2500 filing fee. By November 5, 2007, Colbert had officially dropped his Presidential bid.
associate professor Jason Bond
named a species of trapdoor spider
Aptostichus stephencolberti
in honor of Stephen Colbert.
, and "not the crappy Canton in Georgia
." The comment resulted in a local uproar, with the Canton, Georgia mayor insisting Colbert had never visited the town along with an invitation for him to do so.
On July 30, 2008, Colbert apologized for the story, insisting that he was incorrect and that the real crappy Canton was Canton, Kansas
, after which he made several jokes at the Kansas town's expense including calling the town a "shit hole". Reaction from Mayor Brad Smiley and local residents was negative, while Kansas governor Kathleen Sebelius
invited Colbert to spend a night in Canton's historic jail.
On August 5, 2008, Colbert apologized to the citizens of Canton, Kansas, he then maintained that he had meant to direct his mock derision towards Canton, South Dakota
, by calling it "North Dakota's dirty ashtray" and satirizing the town in song.
On August 12, 2008, Colbert once again apologized to his latest comedic target even though local reaction to the insult was fairly mild. Referring to a line from his satirical song, Colbert said that not all the dogs run away from Canton, South Dakota but "some stay and develop a drinking problem." However, as with the previous apologies, he began a new tirade on another Canton. According to Colbert, Canton, Texas
is nothing but an "incorporated outhouse" and "one steaming pile of longhorn dung." He then asked the audience if they'd seen the town's tourism video. A video then promptly followed showing a monkey humping another monkey with the words Canton, Texas placed in the corner and an arrow pointing from the name to the monkey on bottom. This jab at the Texas town had been predicted by Governor Sebelius at the end of her July 31, 2008 remarks. In response to Colbert's comments, a Canton, Texas city councilman joked that he wanted Colbert to come there so he could "mash his nose".
On October 28, 2008, Colbert reacted to the news that Barack Obama was campaigning for president in Canton, Ohio
— the original good Canton — by saying that he was forced to admit that Canton, Ohio in fact was the real crappy Canton all along.
, contributions to Democratic politicians rose 40% for 30 days after an appearance on the show. The Mozilla Foundation
also experienced a noticeable spike in the download rates of the Firefox
browser right after the launch of Firefox 3 was mentioned in the program. Magazines such as GQ, Newsweek
and Sports Illustrated
have all had sales spikes when Colbert appeared on their covers.
called the Colbert Bump was designed during the August 4th, 2009 episode of The Colbert Report by author David Wondrich. The recipe for a Colbert Bump includes one ounce of Cherry Heering liqueur
, one and a half ounces of gin
, a quarter of an ounce of lemon
juice, and a little soda water.
ran an online contest to name the new node of the International Space Station
. Colbert encouraged his viewers to write in his name. By the end, 230,539 "Colbert" votes were cast. This beat Serenity, the top NASA choice, by more than 40,000 votes.
On April 14, 2009, Astronaut "Suni" Sunita Williams appeared on The Colbert Report, and announced the name of the node to be Tranquility. However, the treadmill the astronauts use to work out on will be named "C.O.L.B.E.R.T." for "Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill" and this will be located in Tranquility.
In the likely event that Node 3 is not named “Colbert” the Mars Society
offered to temporarily rename their Mars Desert Research Station
“Colbert,” for one week in April.
at some future date. He did not reveal where and when the taping would occur, as that would have presented a security breach. As part of this he made a segment called "Where in the world and when in time is Stephen Colbert gonna be in the Persian Gulf?" In it he offered vague clues to the location via a Press Your Luck
board, and described the location being somewhere "sandy" and "packed with troops". He repeatedly alluded to places he might go, but refused to divulge specific details. On the May 4 show, director and writer J. J. Abrams
("LOST
," "Alias," Cloverfield
," and Star Trek) appeared as a guest, and revealed that he had found out where Colbert was headed and had hidden clues to the location throughout the broadcast, leaving it to the viewers to decipher their meaning. On June 5, 2009, Colbert officially announced that "Operation Iraqi Stephen: Going Commando" would be taping and performing shows in Iraq from June 8 to June 11, 2009, making The Colbert Report the first TV show in USO history to produce a week of shows in a combat zone. The shows were filmed at Camp Victory
in the Al-Faw Palace
.
Colbert's head was shaved on stage by General Raymond T. Odierno
, Commander of the Multinational Force - Iraq, at the videotaped order given by President Barack Obama
during the first of four taped performances that were aired June 8, 2009 through June 11, 2009. He wore a civilian two-piece suit
, but with a twist: it was tailored from the United States Army
's UCP digital camouflage pattern
and featured an American Flag and Private rank insignias on the sleeves. Vice President Joe Biden
and Senators John McCain
and Jim Webb
made special appearances, as did former GOP Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin
and former Presidents Bill Clinton
, George W. Bush
, and George H.W. Bush. Actor Tom Hanks
was also featured heavily in a pre-recorded segment encouraging viewers to support care packages for the troops. At the start of all four episodes filmed in Iraq, Stephen Colbert carried a golf club on stage to honor Bob Hope
's decades-long service, 250 years according to Colbert, for the USO across the world.
. The specifics of this sponsorship are unclear. The change of the logo of the U.S. speed skating team's cap, from DSB to Colbert Nation was later shown in the November 12th episode and further episodes. Colbert has also taken aim at Canada
, mocking and insulting them, claiming they weren't giving the speed skaters adequate ice time at Olympic rink in Vancouver
in preparation for the 2010 Winter Olympics
. The city of Richmond
, where the Olympic Oval is located, had responded with a letter inviting him to be the official ombudsman
at the oval for the Olympics, under the condition that he wear the official ombudsman headgear (a pink tuque
) at all times.
As a result, Stephen attempted to make the US Olympic team in various sports including speedskating in which the final spot would be his if he were to beat Shani Davis
in a 500m race. He lost, but became the Assistant Sport Psychologist
to the US Speedskating team (Colbert holds a Doctorate
in Fine Arts). This perk also ensured that he would be able to be a journalist covering the 2010 Winter Olympics
on his own show, and NBC
where he filed speedskating reports during their primetime telecasts with Bob Costas
as host. Conversely, Colbert would also feature NBC hosts and reporters covering the Olympics in his coverage of the games, along side Olympic athletes, many of whom were from the US Speedskating team.
, self proclaimed esotericist, and owner of Share International
magazine; identified the coming "Messiah
/Maitreya
(or future Buddha
)" as having been; born in 1972; traveled to London from India in 1977; been dark-skinned, and having a stutter. Shortly after Raj Patel
, the author of the recent book, "The Value of Nothing," appeared on the show, Creme stated the Messiah had appeared on a popular television program in the United States. Patel was identified as such messiah by Creme's followers, as he fulfilled all of Creme's previous predictions. In the March 15, 2010 show, Colbert claimed this was product of a Colbert Bump and called Patel on the telephone to confirm his status as the deity, which the author denied. However, Benjamin Creme had also predicted that the Messiah would deny his status, reinforcing his followers' belief in Patel's divine status.
, an international
, non-partisan, initiative
to achieve phased, binding, and verifiable elimination of nuclear weapons. Colbert signed the Global Zero declaration during the interview. Also, although knighthood does not exist in Jordan
, Queen Noor then knighted Stephen Colbert.
. The performance earned him praise and scorn in the media.
to describe his experience participating in the United Farm Workers
' "Take Our Jobs" program, where he spent a day working alongside migrant workers in upstate New York
. At the end of his often-humorous testimony, Colbert broke character in responding to a question from Rep. Judy Chu
, D-CA, and explained why he cares about the plight of migrant workers:
“I like talking about people who don't have any power, and this 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. And 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 our brothers right now... Migrant workers suffer and have no rights."
Democratic committee member John Conyers
questioned whether it was appropriate for the comedian to appear before Congress and asked him to leave the hearing. Though Colbert offered to depart at the direction of the committee chairwoman, Rep. Lofgren requested that he stay at least until all opening testimony had been completed, whereupon Conyers withdrew his request.
Conservative pundits took aim at his Congress testimony not long after.
"As John Conyers notes, the media and spectators turned out to see whether Colbert would address the panel seriously as an expert on immigration and make the panel a joke, or stay in character and make the panel a bigger joke," - Ed Morrissey
, Hot Air
.
's Restoring Honor rally
in Washington, D.C.
, a user on Reddit
suggested that Stephen hold his own Restoring Truthiness rally, and a website and Facebook page for the event were set up overnight. A big announcement was first hinted at by Jon Stewart
on September 7, who ended the show with a Moment of Zen supposedly holding a clue about the announcement. On the same day, Stephen acknowledged the online movement. He played a clip of Beck saying the geese at his event were sent by God, and insisted that he would need his own God geese to tell him to hold a rally. After consulting "Geese Witherspoon" and a bottle of Grey Goose vodka, Stephen responded to Jon's announcement with a promise to make "an even bigger counter-announcement."
The next day, Stewart responded to Stephen's announcement by showing what was going on inside his brain, and yet again ended the show with an announcement-related Moment of Zen, as he did the next day.
The following Monday, Stephen finally responded to Stewart, first mocking him for his facial hair, then responding to the "brain-cam" with his own "gut-cam." Stephen then brought up the online rally and how viewers were sending him toy geese and releasing doves outside his studio, finally asking people to stop sending him live animals.
To get Stephen's attention, Reddit users also encouraged people to donate to DonorsChoose
, a charity organization that benefits teachers across the country. In less than a day, members of the Colbert Nation raised over $100,000. As of October 28, 2010, Reddit raised more than $500,000.
September 15's Daily Show ended with a toss to Stephen, and both acted coy about their competing announcements. That night's Colbert Report ended with Stephen announcing he would make his big announcement the next day, dropping hints that it will have to do with D.C. and the date October 10, 2010. On September 16, Colbert announced plans to host a 'Keep Fear Alive' rally on the National Mall
on October 30, 2010.
The combined Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear was duly held on October 30, attracting nearly a quarter of a million participants. As the result of the rally, Metrorail set a new Saturday ridership record of 825,437 trips, as compared to about 350,000 trips on a normal Saturday.
Tim Pawlenty
's political action committee
, Colbert announced the formation of his own PAC: ColbertPAC. On March 30, Colbert hosted former FEC
Chairman Trevor Potter on the program to help him fill out the paperwork for the PAC. On April 14, Colbert revealed that Viacom
sent him a letter denying him permission to establish a PAC, but Colbert had Potter back on the show, who explained to Colbert and his audience that as a result of the Citizens United Supreme Court case
, Super PACs can be formed, which are less restrictive than regular PACs. Finally, on June 30, 2011 the FEC approved Colbert's bid to form a Super PAC. Troubled by the fact that large corporations were not donating to his SuperPAC, on September 29, 2011, Trevor Potter explained that corporations prefer to support political causes when the corporations can remain anonymous. Therefore, he helped Colbert set up a 501(c)(4) Delaware Shell corporation in which donations can be given anonymously without limit and used for political purposes. The name of the shell corporation, "Anonymous Shell Corporation," has Colbert as its sole board member. Donations made to Anonymous Shell Corporation can then be funneled to ColbertPAC without disclosing the ultimate source of the donation. Colbert asked what the difference is between this and money laundering. Potter answered, "It's hard to say."
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert is an American political satirist, writer, comedian, television host, and actor. He is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.Colbert originally studied to be an...
, who calls his followers the Colbert Nation.
Congressional response
In response to the "Better Know a District" segment, Rahm EmanuelRahm Emanuel
Rahm Israel Emanuel is an American politician and the 55th and current Mayor of Chicago. He was formerly White House Chief of Staff to President Barack Obama...
, then the Democratic Caucus chair, instructed incoming freshmen not to do appearances on the show. Colbert responded by issuing an "Editing Challenge" on his March 26, 2007 broadcast. The challenge directs viewers to the Colbert Nation website to obtain an extended interview with Colbert, conducted by Gwen Ifill
Gwen Ifill
Gwendolyn L. "Gwen" Ifill is an American journalist, television newscaster and author. She is the managing editor and moderator of Washington Week and a senior correspondent for the PBS NewsHour, both of which air on PBS. She is a political analyst, and moderated the 2004 and 2008 Vice...
, which viewers may then edit to make him look as ridiculous as the representatives. However, The Colbert Report has never followed through on the contest, with not one entry being aired and no further reference to the contest ever being made on the show.
Neologisms
The Colbert Report has created new words. Besides "truthinessTruthiness
Truthiness is a "truth" that a person claims to know intuitively "from the gut" or that it "feels right" without regard to evidence, logic, intellectual examination, or facts....
", Colbert has coined other terms including "freem", which is "freedom without the do, because I do it all for you." Other words include: "eneagled", a blend
Blend
In linguistics, a blend is a word formed from parts of two or more other words. These parts are sometimes, but not always, morphemes.-Linguistics:...
of "enabled" and "eagle", thus meaning "to be given the characteristics of an eagle" and "mantasy", meaning male fantasies, such as running away from the wife to become free, a word to which Colbert claims to hold a trademark. Recently, he coined the word "engayify" meaning "to gay it up."
Wikipedia references
Colbert has made repeated references on the show to WikipediaWikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
, which he refers to as his favorite website, generally in "The Wørd" segment. Colbert's first reference to Wikipedia was on the July 31, 2006 broadcast, when "The Word" was Wikiality, defined as the concept that "together we can create a reality that we all agree on—the reality we just agreed on." The premise of wikiality is that reality is what the wiki says it is. He explained that on Wikipedia "any user can change any entry, and if enough users agree with them, it becomes true." He also told his viewers to go onto Wikipedia, in the article elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
s, and to edit it so that it would say: "Elephant population in Africa has tripled over the past six months." The suggestion resulted in numerous changes to Wikipedia articles related to elephants and Africa. Editing of the concerned articles was restricted to prevent further edits.
Other "Words" invented relating to Wikipedia include "Wikilobbying", regarding which Colbert explained "when money determines Wikipedia entries, reality has become a commodity", alluding to a case in which Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
allegedly hired someone to tamper with Wikipedia, and "Self-determination
Self-determination
Self-determination is the principle in international law that nations have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status with no external compulsion or external interference...
", where corporations are allowed to act out their fantasies online by editing their own Wikipedia entries. Colbert described Wikipedia as "Second Life
Second Life
Second Life is an online virtual world developed by Linden Lab. It was launched on June 23, 2003. A number of free client programs, or Viewers, enable Second Life users, called Residents, to interact with each other through avatars...
for corporations", saying if a corporation wants to pretend to be someone else online, then that is their business.
In another episode, the guest Dan Zaccagnino was discussing his new wiki where readers can share their musical compositions. Colbert compared this to "wiki-wiki-wikipedia."
On May 24, 2007, the guest was Jimmy Wales
Jimmy Wales
Jimmy Donal "Jimbo" Wales is an American Internet entrepreneur best known as a co-founder and promoter of the online non-profit encyclopedia Wikipedia and the Wikia company....
, the co-founder of Wikipedia. Stephen Colbert called Wikipedia a "battlefield for information", a tool which "brings democracy to information" and moves away from the views of the "elite who study things and got to say what is or is not real". During the interview, Colbert showed a sentence on the screen: "Librarians are hiding something." Wales could not see it, with the implication that Wales could not personally stop a critical mass of individuals from editing a page when he did not know which page was the target. Wales responded that "the interesting thing about The Colbert Report is that Wikipedians watch it."
On June 9, 2008, Colbert mentioned Warren G. Harding
Warren G. Harding
Warren Gamaliel Harding was the 29th President of the United States . A Republican from Ohio, Harding was an influential self-made newspaper publisher. He served in the Ohio Senate , as the 28th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio and as a U.S. Senator...
as being a "secret negro president", and said that for proof, "the G stands for Gangsta" which he changed on Wikipedia so that he could cite a source. This resulted in various attempts at vandalism to support Colbert's claim.
On June 6, 2011, Colbert encouraged viewers to modify the Wikipedia entry on bells
Bell (instrument)
A bell is a simple sound-making device. The bell is a percussion instrument and an idiophone. Its form is usually a hollow, cup-shaped object, which resonates upon being struck...
to support Sarah Palin's mistaken claims that they were used during Paul Revere
Paul Revere
Paul Revere was an American silversmith and a patriot in the American Revolution. He is most famous for alerting Colonial militia of approaching British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord, as dramatized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, Paul Revere's Ride...
's "midnight ride".
Hungarian bridge campaign
In 2006, the Ministry of Transport of Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
launched an online call for public suggestions to name a future motorway bridge
Northern M0 Danube bridge
The Megyeri Bridge, previously known as the Northern M0 Danube bridge, is a cable-stayed bridge that spans the River Danube between Buda and Pest, respectively the west and east sides of Budapest, the capital of Hungary....
over the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
, just north of Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
. Ministry officials said the Hungarian Geographical Name Committee would choose from among the three submitted candidates with the most votes, guided by suggestions submitted by "local governments, cartographers, linguists, and other experts". Users offered hundreds of suggestions, among them the "'You Can Go To Bratislava But Not Over This Bridge' Bridge" and the "Chuck Norris Bridge", which led in votes for some time. Colbert noted the effort in his "Tip of the hat, wag of the finger" segment on August 9, and in the following weeks, he continued to ask viewers to vote for him. On August 22, Hungarian news sites reported Colbert had won the first round of voting with 17,231,724 votes, which is 7 million more people than there are in all of Hungary. Hungary changed the voting rules after the members of the Colbert Nation Forums developed a bot
Internet bot
Internet bots, also known as web robots, WWW robots or simply bots, are software applications that run automated tasks over the Internet. Typically, bots perform tasks that are both simple and structurally repetitive, at a much higher rate than would be possible for a human alone...
to stuff the ballot box, requiring registration to vote in the second phase. That night, Colbert asked his viewers to cease their efforts, and offered apologies, spending a segment honoring Hungary, its history, and its contributions to the world.
On September 14, 2006 Colbert introduced his guest András Simonyi
András Simonyi
h.e. Mr. András Simonyi was the Hungarian ambassador to the United States between 2002 and 2007. He was succeeded by Ferenc Somogyi....
, Ambassador of the Republic of Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
to the United States. The ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
presented Mr. Colbert with a declaration certifying him as the winner of the second and final round of voting. The document bore the signatures of Hungarian government
Politics of Hungary
Politics of Hungary takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic. The Prime Minister is the head of government of a pluriform multi-party system, while the President is the head of state and holds a largely ceremonial position.Executive power is exercised by the...
officials and the country's official seal
Coat of arms of Hungary
The current coat of arms of Hungary was adopted on July 3, 1990, after the end of communist rule. The arms have been used before, both with and without the Holy Crown of Hungary, sometimes as part of a larger, more complex coat of arms, and its elements date back to the Middle Ages.The shield is...
. Included in the text, as read by the ambassador, were two important conditions required for the name of the bridge to be made official. First, Colbert must be fluent
Fluency
Fluency is the property of a person or of a system that delivers information quickly and with expertise.-Speech:...
in Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
. Colbert responded by pronouncing the Hungarian name Nicholas Zrinyi (incorrectly referring to Miklós Zrínyi
Miklós Zrínyi
Miklós Zrínyi or Nikola Zrinski was a Croatian and Hungarian soldier, statesman and poet, member of the Zrinski noble family....
) and híd (meaning 'bridge' in Hungarian); Simonyi quickly certified him as fluent. The second requirement proved more onerous: To have the bridge named after him, Colbert would have to be deceased. Colbert protested, but the ambassador presented him with a Hungarian passport
Hungarian passport
Hungarian passports are issued to Hungarian citizens for international travel by The Central Data Processing, Registration and Election Office of the Hungarian Ministry of the Interior.-Types:...
and 10,000 Hungarian Forint (HUF
Hungarian forint
The forint is the currency of Hungary. It is divided into 100 fillér, although fillér coins are no longer in circulation. The introduction of the forint on 1 August 1946 was a crucial step of the post-WWII stabilization of the Hungarian economy, and the currency remained relatively stable until...
), noting that this would allow Colbert to enter Hungary at any time, without restriction. He also brought attention to the portrait
Portrait
thumb|250px|right|Portrait of [[Thomas Jefferson]] by [[Rembrandt Peale]], 1805. [[New-York Historical Society]].A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness,...
of King St. Stephen, the first King of Hungary, on the 10,000 HUF bill. Finally Simonyi implied that the question of Colbert's ineligibility by virtue of being alive might be resolved if Colbert were to accept an invitation to visit the bridge site
Northern M0 Danube bridge
The Megyeri Bridge, previously known as the Northern M0 Danube bridge, is a cable-stayed bridge that spans the River Danube between Buda and Pest, respectively the west and east sides of Budapest, the capital of Hungary....
in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
; Colbert responded by trying to bribe the ambassador with the 10,000 HUF bill. On September 28, 2006, it was announced that the bridge will be named "Megyeri Bridge", although the name did not make it to the second round. According to the Geographical Name Committee, the name was selected because the bridge connects Káposztásmegyer with Békásmegyer
Békásmegyer
Békásmegyer is a neighbourhood in Budapest, Hungary. It belongs administratively to District III. Békásmegyer is consisted of two different parts, a huge high rise housing estate and the traditional Ófalu with older houses. Békásmegyer is divided into two by the Szentendre HÉV line. It was an...
.
Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavor
In February 2007, Ben & Jerry'sBen & Jerry's
Ben & Jerry's is an American ice cream company, a division of the British-Dutch Unilever conglomerate, that manufactures ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet, and ice cream novelty products, manufactured by Ben & Jerry's Homemade Holdings, Inc., headquartered in South Burlington, Vermont, United...
unveiled a new ice cream flavor in honor of Stephen Colbert, named Stephen Colbert's AmeriCone Dream
Stephen Colbert's AmeriCone Dream
Stephen Colbert's AmeriCone Dream is a Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavor inspired by Stephen Colbert, host of the Comedy Central television show The Colbert Report, and first released in 2007....
. Colbert waited until Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
to sample the ice cream because he "gave up sweets for Lent
Lent
In the Christian tradition, Lent is the period of the liturgical year from Ash Wednesday to Easter. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer – through prayer, repentance, almsgiving and self-denial – for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and...
." Colbert will donate all proceeds to charity through the new Stephen Colbert AmeriCone Dream Fund, which will distribute the money to various causes.
Remix Competitions
Colbert sometimes implicitly suggests that his fans remix various aspects of his show simply by telling them not to remix it. In January 2009, he told viewers to not remix his interview with Lawrence LessigLawrence Lessig
Lawrence "Larry" Lessig is an American academic and political activist. He is best known as a proponent of reduced legal restrictions on copyright, trademark, and radio frequency spectrum, particularly in technology applications, and he has called for state-based activism to promote substantive...
, founder of Creative Commons
Creative Commons
Creative Commons is a non-profit organization headquartered in Mountain View, California, United States devoted to expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has released several copyright-licenses known as Creative Commons...
, which lets authors of creative works share them with the world. This type of fan involvement is similar to the Colbert Green Screen Challenge, which focuses on video content editing.
Running for President in 2008
On October 16, 2007, Colbert announced on The Report that he would be running for president. He had chosen no vice-president, though he was considering choosing Vladimir PutinVladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
, Mike Huckabee
Mike Huckabee
Michael "Mike" Dale Huckabee is an American politician who served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate in the 2008 United States Republican presidential primaries, finishing second in delegate count and third in both popular vote and number of states won . He won...
, or himself as his running mate. Colbert declared that he was only running in South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, his home state, and was contemplating running for both the Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
and Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
parties as a "favorite son
Favorite son
A favorite son is a political term.*At the quadrennial American national political party conventions, a state delegation sometimes nominates and votes for a candidate from the state, or less often from the state's region, who is not a viable candidate...
." Colbert covered his story in the segment "The Hail to the Cheese Stephen Colbert NachoCheese Doritos
Doritos
Doritos is a brand of seasoned tortilla chips created by Arch West and produced since 1964 by the American food company Frito-Lay ....
2008 Presidential Campaign Coverage" and promoted his campaign on his special election website colbert08.org, as under law he cannot use colbertnation.com.
On October 21, 2007, Colbert was interviewed by host Tim Russert
Tim Russert
Timothy John "Tim" Russert was an American television journalist and lawyer who appeared for more than 16 years as the longest-serving moderator of NBC's Meet the Press. He was a senior vice president at NBC News, Washington bureau chief and also hosted the eponymous CNBC/MSNBC weekend interview...
on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's Meet The Press
Meet the Press
Meet the Press is a weekly American television news/interview program produced by NBC. It is the longest-running television series in American broadcasting history, despite bearing little resemblance to the original format of the program seen in its television debut on November 6, 1947. It has been...
. Colbert explained why he changed the pronunciation of his name (from "COLE-Bert" to "Cole-BEAR"), demanded to know whether Russert believes that God supports our enemies in Iraq and revealed that he had no interest in winning the Presidency (he just wanted to run).
On November 1, 2007, the executive council of the South Carolina Democratic Party
South Carolina Democratic Party
The South Carolina Democratic Party is the South Carolina affiliate of the United States Democratic Party. The Democratic party thrived during the Second Party System between 1832 and the mid-1850s and was one of the causes of the collapse of the Whig Party....
voted 13-3 to keep his name off the ballot and refunded his US$2500 filing fee. By November 5, 2007, Colbert had officially dropped his Presidential bid.
Newly discovered spider species
In 2008, East Carolina UniversityEast Carolina University
East Carolina University is a public, coeducational, engaged doctoral/research university located in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. Named East Carolina University by statute and commonly known as ECU or East Carolina, the university is the largest institution of higher learning in...
associate professor Jason Bond
Jason Bond
Jason E. Bond is a professor of biology and director of the Biodiversity Learning Center at Auburn University. When he was an associate professor with the Department of Biology at East Carolina University, he discovered the trapdoor spider Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi. He went to undergraduate school...
named a species of trapdoor spider
Trapdoor spider
Trapdoor spiders are medium-sized mygalomorph spiders that construct burrows with a cork-like trapdoor made of soil, vegetation and silk. Some similar species are also called trapdoor spiders, such as the Liphistiidae, Barychelidae, Cyrtaucheniidae and some Idiopidae and Nemesiidae...
Aptostichus stephencolberti
Aptostichus stephencolberti
Aptostichus stephencolberti is a species of trapdoor spider named after the American satirist Stephen Colbert. The spider was discovered on the California coastline in 2007.-Spider:...
in honor of Stephen Colbert.
Canton insults and apologies
On the July 21, 2008 episode of The Colbert Report, Colbert made a comment about John McCain making a campaign stop in Canton, OhioCanton, Ohio
Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, and "not the crappy Canton in Georgia
Canton, Georgia
Canton is a city in and the county seat of Cherokee County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 22,958.-Geography:Canton is located at ....
." The comment resulted in a local uproar, with the Canton, Georgia mayor insisting Colbert had never visited the town along with an invitation for him to do so.
On July 30, 2008, Colbert apologized for the story, insisting that he was incorrect and that the real crappy Canton was Canton, Kansas
Canton, Kansas
Canton is a city in McPherson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 748.-19th century:As early as 1875, city leaders of Marion held a meeting to consider a branch railroad from Florence. In 1878, Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and parties from Marion...
, after which he made several jokes at the Kansas town's expense including calling the town a "shit hole". Reaction from Mayor Brad Smiley and local residents was negative, while Kansas governor Kathleen Sebelius
Kathleen Sebelius
Kathleen Sebelius is an American politician currently serving as the 21st Secretary of Health and Human Services. She was the second female Governor of Kansas from 2003 to 2009, the Democratic respondent to the 2008 State of the Union address, and chair-emerita of the Democratic Governors...
invited Colbert to spend a night in Canton's historic jail.
On August 5, 2008, Colbert apologized to the citizens of Canton, Kansas, he then maintained that he had meant to direct his mock derision towards Canton, South Dakota
Canton, South Dakota
Canton is a city in and the county seat of Lincoln County, South Dakota, United States. The city was named by Norwegian settler and former legislator James M. Wahl...
, by calling it "North Dakota's dirty ashtray" and satirizing the town in song.
On August 12, 2008, Colbert once again apologized to his latest comedic target even though local reaction to the insult was fairly mild. Referring to a line from his satirical song, Colbert said that not all the dogs run away from Canton, South Dakota but "some stay and develop a drinking problem." However, as with the previous apologies, he began a new tirade on another Canton. According to Colbert, Canton, Texas
Canton, Texas
Canton is a city in Van Zandt County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 5,142. It is the county seat of Van Zandt County.- History :...
is nothing but an "incorporated outhouse" and "one steaming pile of longhorn dung." He then asked the audience if they'd seen the town's tourism video. A video then promptly followed showing a monkey humping another monkey with the words Canton, Texas placed in the corner and an arrow pointing from the name to the monkey on bottom. This jab at the Texas town had been predicted by Governor Sebelius at the end of her July 31, 2008 remarks. In response to Colbert's comments, a Canton, Texas city councilman joked that he wanted Colbert to come there so he could "mash his nose".
On October 28, 2008, Colbert reacted to the news that Barack Obama was campaigning for president in Canton, Ohio
Canton, Ohio
Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...
— the original good Canton — by saying that he was forced to admit that Canton, Ohio in fact was the real crappy Canton all along.
The Colbert Bump
The "Colbert Bump" is defined, connotatively by the Report, as an increase in popularity of a person (author, musician, politician, etc.) or thing (website, etc.) as a result of appearing as a guest on or (in the case of a thing) being mentioned on the show. For example, if a politician appears on The Colbert Report, they may become more popular with certain voters and thus are more likely to be elected. According to the American Political Science AssociationAmerican Political Science Association
The American Political Science Association is a professional association of political science students and scholars in the United States. Founded in 1903, it publishes three academic journals...
, contributions to Democratic politicians rose 40% for 30 days after an appearance on the show. The Mozilla Foundation
Mozilla Foundation
The Mozilla Foundation is a non-profit organization that exists to support and provide leadership for the open source Mozilla project. The organization sets the policies that govern development, operates key infrastructure and controls trademarks and other intellectual property...
also experienced a noticeable spike in the download rates of the Firefox
Mozilla Firefox
Mozilla Firefox is a free and open source web browser descended from the Mozilla Application Suite and managed by Mozilla Corporation. , Firefox is the second most widely used browser, with approximately 25% of worldwide usage share of web browsers...
browser right after the launch of Firefox 3 was mentioned in the program. Magazines such as GQ, Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
and Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
have all had sales spikes when Colbert appeared on their covers.
Colbert Bump (alcoholic beverage)
A cocktailCocktail
A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink that contains two or more ingredients—at least one of the ingredients must be a spirit.Cocktails were originally a mixture of spirits, sugar, water, and bitters. The word has come to mean almost any mixed drink that contains alcohol...
called the Colbert Bump was designed during the August 4th, 2009 episode of The Colbert Report by author David Wondrich. The recipe for a Colbert Bump includes one ounce of Cherry Heering liqueur
Peter Heering
Peter Heering is a Danish manufacturer of liqueurs, most famous for Heering Cherry Liqueur, a liqueur flavored with cherries which is often referred to simply as Peter Heering or Cherry Heering in cocktail recipes. Heering Cherry Liqueur, purveyor to the Royal Danish Court and to H.M. Queen...
, one and a half ounces of gin
Gin
Gin is a spirit which derives its predominant flavour from juniper berries . Although several different styles of gin have existed since its origins, it is broadly differentiated into two basic legal categories...
, a quarter of an ounce of lemon
Lemon
The lemon is both a small evergreen tree native to Asia, and the tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit. The fruit is used for culinary and non-culinary purposes throughout the world – primarily for its juice, though the pulp and rind are also used, mainly in cooking and baking...
juice, and a little soda water.
NASA's Node 3
In March 2009, NASANASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
ran an online contest to name the new node of the International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
. Colbert encouraged his viewers to write in his name. By the end, 230,539 "Colbert" votes were cast. This beat Serenity, the top NASA choice, by more than 40,000 votes.
On April 14, 2009, Astronaut "Suni" Sunita Williams appeared on The Colbert Report, and announced the name of the node to be Tranquility. However, the treadmill the astronauts use to work out on will be named "C.O.L.B.E.R.T." for "Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill" and this will be located in Tranquility.
In the likely event that Node 3 is not named “Colbert” the Mars Society
Mars Society
The Mars Society is an international space advocacy non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the human exploration and settlement of the planet Mars. It was founded by Robert Zubrin and others in 1998 and attracted the support of notable science fiction writers and filmmakers, including Kim...
offered to temporarily rename their Mars Desert Research Station
Mars Desert Research Station
The Mars Desert Research Station is the second of four planned simulated Mars surface exploration habitats owned and operated by the Mars Society.-Background:...
“Colbert,” for one week in April.
Persian Gulf Special (Operation Iraqi Stephen: Going Commando 2009 Visit to Baghdad, Iraq)
On March 17, 2009, Colbert announced that the show would be broadcasting from somewhere in the Persian GulfPersian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
at some future date. He did not reveal where and when the taping would occur, as that would have presented a security breach. As part of this he made a segment called "Where in the world and when in time is Stephen Colbert gonna be in the Persian Gulf?" In it he offered vague clues to the location via a Press Your Luck
Press Your Luck
Press Your Luck is an American television daytime game show created by Bill Carruthers and Jan McCormack. It premiered on September 19, 1983 on CBS and ended on September 26, 1986. In the show, contestants collected "spins" by answering trivia questions and then used the spins on an 18-space game...
board, and described the location being somewhere "sandy" and "packed with troops". He repeatedly alluded to places he might go, but refused to divulge specific details. On the May 4 show, director and writer J. J. Abrams
J. J. Abrams
Jeffrey Jacob "J. J." Abrams is an American film and television producer, screenwriter, director, actor, and composer. He wrote and produced feature films before co-creating the television series Felicity...
("LOST
Lost
-In cinema or television:*Lost , an ABC drama about people who become stranded on a mysterious island*Lost , a short-lived reality television program*Lost , an American thriller starring Dean Cain...
," "Alias," Cloverfield
Cloverfield
Cloverfield is a 2008 American disaster-monster film directed by Matt Reeves, produced by J. J. Abrams and written by Drew Goddard.The film follows six young New Yorkers attending a going-away party on the night that a gigantic monster attacks the city...
," and Star Trek) appeared as a guest, and revealed that he had found out where Colbert was headed and had hidden clues to the location throughout the broadcast, leaving it to the viewers to decipher their meaning. On June 5, 2009, Colbert officially announced that "Operation Iraqi Stephen: Going Commando" would be taping and performing shows in Iraq from June 8 to June 11, 2009, making The Colbert Report the first TV show in USO history to produce a week of shows in a combat zone. The shows were filmed at Camp Victory
Camp Victory
Camp Victory is the primary component of the Victory Base Complex which occupies the area surrounding the Baghdad International Airport . The Al-Faw Palace, which served as the headquarters for the Multi-National Corps - Iraq , is located on Camp Victory...
in the Al-Faw Palace
Al-Faw Palace
The Al Faw Palace is located in Baghdad approximately 5 kilometers from the Baghdad International Airport, Iraq...
.
Colbert's head was shaved on stage by General Raymond T. Odierno
Raymond T. Odierno
Raymond T. Odierno is a United States Army general and the 38th and current Chief of Staff of the Army. Odierno most recently commanded United States Joint Forces Command from October 2010 until its disestablishment in August 2011. He served as Commanding General, United States Forces – Iraq and...
, Commander of the Multinational Force - Iraq, at the videotaped order given by President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
during the first of four taped performances that were aired June 8, 2009 through June 11, 2009. He wore a civilian two-piece suit
Suit (clothing)
In clothing, a suit is a set of garments made from the same cloth, consisting of at least a jacket and trousers. Lounge suits are the most common style of Western suit, originating in the United Kingdom as country wear...
, but with a twist: it was tailored from the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
's UCP digital camouflage pattern
Universal Camouflage Pattern
The Universal Camouflage Pattern , also referred to as ACUPAT or Digital Camouflage is the military camouflage pattern currently in use in the United States Army's Army Combat Uniform. The pattern was chosen after several laboratory and field tests that occurred from 2003 to 2004...
and featured an American Flag and Private rank insignias on the sleeves. Vice President Joe Biden
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama...
and Senators John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
and Jim Webb
Jim Webb
James Henry "Jim" Webb, Jr. is the senior United States Senator from Virginia. He is also an author and a former Secretary of the Navy. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
made special appearances, as did former GOP Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
and former Presidents Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, and George H.W. Bush. Actor Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
was also featured heavily in a pre-recorded segment encouraging viewers to support care packages for the troops. At the start of all four episodes filmed in Iraq, Stephen Colbert carried a golf club on stage to honor Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
's decades-long service, 250 years according to Colbert, for the USO across the world.
U.S. Olympic speed skating sponsorship
On November 2, 2009, Colbert, representing the Colbert Nation, signed a sponsorship agreement on-air with U.S. speedskating executive director Robert Crowley after learning of the loss of the team's prominent sponsor: Dutch bank DSBDSB Bank
DSB Bank was a Dutch bank and insurer. The company was founded in 1975 by Dirk Scheringa, a former police officer. It was originally called Buro Frisia, but in 1998 the DSB Groep was founded which included Buro Frisia...
. The specifics of this sponsorship are unclear. The change of the logo of the U.S. speed skating team's cap, from DSB to Colbert Nation was later shown in the November 12th episode and further episodes. Colbert has also taken aim at Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, mocking and insulting them, claiming they weren't giving the speed skaters adequate ice time at Olympic rink in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
in preparation for the 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
. The city of Richmond
Richmond, British Columbia
Richmond is a coastal city, incorporated in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Part of Metro Vancouver, its neighbouring communities are Vancouver and Burnaby to the north, New Westminster to the east, and Delta to the south, while the Strait of Georgia forms its western border...
, where the Olympic Oval is located, had responded with a letter inviting him to be the official ombudsman
Ombudsman
An ombudsman is a person who acts as a trusted intermediary between an organization and some internal or external constituency while representing not only but mostly the broad scope of constituent interests...
at the oval for the Olympics, under the condition that he wear the official ombudsman headgear (a pink tuque
Tuque
A – variously known as a knit hat or stocking cap among other names – is a knitted cap, originally of wool though now often of synthetic fibers, that is designed to provide warmth in winter...
) at all times.
As a result, Stephen attempted to make the US Olympic team in various sports including speedskating in which the final spot would be his if he were to beat Shani Davis
Shani Davis
Shani Davis is an Olympic Champion speed skater from the United States.At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, Davis became the first Black athlete to win a gold medal in an individual sport at the Olympic Winter Games . He also won the silver in the 1,500 m...
in a 500m race. He lost, but became the Assistant Sport Psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
to the US Speedskating team (Colbert holds a Doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in Fine Arts). This perk also ensured that he would be able to be a journalist covering the 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
on his own show, and NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
where he filed speedskating reports during their primetime telecasts with Bob Costas
Bob Costas
Robert Quinlan "Bob" Costas is an American sportscaster, on the air for the NBC network since the early 1980s.-Early life:...
as host. Conversely, Colbert would also feature NBC hosts and reporters covering the Olympics in his coverage of the games, along side Olympic athletes, many of whom were from the US Speedskating team.
Raj Patel's identification as the "Messiah"
Benjamin CremeBenjamin Creme
Benjamin Creme is a Scottish artist, author, esotericist, and editor of Share International magazine, a monthly non-profit magazine and website....
, self proclaimed esotericist, and owner of Share International
Share International
Share International Foundation is a spiritual movement founded by Benjamin Creme with its main offices in London, Amsterdam, Tokyo and Los Angeles...
magazine; identified the coming "Messiah
Messiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
/Maitreya
Maitreya
Maitreya , Metteyya , or Jampa , is foretold as a future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. In some Buddhist literature, such as the Amitabha Sutra and the Lotus Sutra, he or she is referred to as Ajita Bodhisattva.Maitreya is a bodhisattva who in the Buddhist tradition is to appear on...
(or future Buddha
Buddha
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
)" as having been; born in 1972; traveled to London from India in 1977; been dark-skinned, and having a stutter. Shortly after Raj Patel
Raj Patel
Raj Patel is a British-born American academic, journalist, activist and writer who has lived and worked in Zimbabwe, South Africa and the United States for extended periods. He is best known for his 2008 book, Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System...
, the author of the recent book, "The Value of Nothing," appeared on the show, Creme stated the Messiah had appeared on a popular television program in the United States. Patel was identified as such messiah by Creme's followers, as he fulfilled all of Creme's previous predictions. In the March 15, 2010 show, Colbert claimed this was product of a Colbert Bump and called Patel on the telephone to confirm his status as the deity, which the author denied. However, Benjamin Creme had also predicted that the Messiah would deny his status, reinforcing his followers' belief in Patel's divine status.
Global Zero
Queen Noor of Jordan was on The Colbert Report to promote Global ZeroGlobal Zero (campaign)
Global Zero is an international initiative launched in December 2008 to promote the elimination of nuclear weapons. It proposes a phased withdrawal and verification for the destruction of all devices held by official and unofficial members of the nuclear club...
, an international
International
----International mostly means something that involves more than one country. The term international as a word means involvement of, interaction between or encompassing more than one nation, or generally beyond national boundaries...
, non-partisan, initiative
Initiative
In political science, an initiative is a means by which a petition signed by a certain minimum number of registered voters can force a public vote...
to achieve phased, binding, and verifiable elimination of nuclear weapons. Colbert signed the Global Zero declaration during the interview. Also, although knighthood does not exist in Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
, Queen Noor then knighted Stephen Colbert.
2006 White House Correspondents Association Dinner
Stephen Colbert gave a satirical speech at the 2006 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in which he criticized the Bush Administration and the news mediaNews media
The news media are those elements of the mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public.These include print media , broadcast news , and more recently the Internet .-Etymology:A medium is a carrier of something...
. The performance earned him praise and scorn in the media.
2010 Congressional Testimony for Migrant Workers
On September 24, 2010, Colbert testified in character before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Security. He was invited by committee chairwoman Zoe LofgrenZoe Lofgren
Zoe Lofgren is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1995. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district is based in San Jose.-Early life, education, and early career:...
to describe his experience participating in the United Farm Workers
United Farm Workers
The United Farm Workers of America is a labor union created from the merging of two groups, the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee led by Filipino organizer Larry Itliong, and the National Farm Workers Association led by César Chávez...
' "Take Our Jobs" program, where he spent a day working alongside migrant workers in upstate New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. At the end of his often-humorous testimony, Colbert broke character in responding to a question from Rep. Judy Chu
Judy Chu
Judy May Chu, Ph.D. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2009. She is a member of the Democratic Party....
, D-CA, and explained why he cares about the plight of migrant workers:
“I like talking about people who don't have any power, and this 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. And 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 our brothers right now... Migrant workers suffer and have no rights."
Democratic committee member John Conyers
John Conyers
John Conyers, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1965 . He is a member of the Democratic Party...
questioned whether it was appropriate for the comedian to appear before Congress and asked him to leave the hearing. Though Colbert offered to depart at the direction of the committee chairwoman, Rep. Lofgren requested that he stay at least until all opening testimony had been completed, whereupon Conyers withdrew his request.
Conservative pundits took aim at his Congress testimony not long after.
"As John Conyers notes, the media and spectators turned out to see whether Colbert would address the panel seriously as an expert on immigration and make the panel a joke, or stay in character and make the panel a bigger joke," - Ed Morrissey
Ed Morrissey
Ed Morrissey is an American conservative blogger, columnist, motivational speaker, and talk show host.He goes by the nickname Captain Ed and he currently lives in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota....
, Hot Air
Hot air
Hot air in economics refers to the Assigned Amount Units credits given for the reduction of Green House Gas emissions among the former Soviet Bloc countries since 1990....
.
"Keep Fear Alive" rally
After Glenn BeckGlenn Beck
Glenn Edward Lee Beck is an American conservative radio host, vlogger, author, entrepreneur, political commentator and former television host. He hosts the Glenn Beck Program, a nationally syndicated talk-radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks...
's Restoring Honor rally
Restoring Honor rally
The Restoring Honor rally was held on August 28, 2010 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. and was organized by Glenn Beck to "restore honor in America" and to raise funds for the non-profit Special Operations Warrior Foundation. Billed as a "celebration of America's heroes and heritage,"...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, a user on Reddit
Reddit
reddit is a social news website where the registered users submit content, in the form of either a link or a text "self" post. Other users then vote the submission "up" or "down," which is used to rank the post and determine its position on the site's pages and front page.Reddit was originally...
suggested that Stephen hold his own Restoring Truthiness rally, and a website and Facebook page for the event were set up overnight. A big announcement was first hinted at by Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart is an American political satirist, writer, television host, actor, media critic and stand-up comedian...
on September 7, who ended the show with a Moment of Zen supposedly holding a clue about the announcement. On the same day, Stephen acknowledged the online movement. He played a clip of Beck saying the geese at his event were sent by God, and insisted that he would need his own God geese to tell him to hold a rally. After consulting "Geese Witherspoon" and a bottle of Grey Goose vodka, Stephen responded to Jon's announcement with a promise to make "an even bigger counter-announcement."
The next day, Stewart responded to Stephen's announcement by showing what was going on inside his brain, and yet again ended the show with an announcement-related Moment of Zen, as he did the next day.
The following Monday, Stephen finally responded to Stewart, first mocking him for his facial hair, then responding to the "brain-cam" with his own "gut-cam." Stephen then brought up the online rally and how viewers were sending him toy geese and releasing doves outside his studio, finally asking people to stop sending him live animals.
To get Stephen's attention, Reddit users also encouraged people to donate to DonorsChoose
DonorsChoose
DonorsChoose.org is a United States based nonprofit organization that provides a way for people to donate directly to specific projects at public schools ....
, a charity organization that benefits teachers across the country. In less than a day, members of the Colbert Nation raised over $100,000. As of October 28, 2010, Reddit raised more than $500,000.
September 15's Daily Show ended with a toss to Stephen, and both acted coy about their competing announcements. That night's Colbert Report ended with Stephen announcing he would make his big announcement the next day, dropping hints that it will have to do with D.C. and the date October 10, 2010. On September 16, Colbert announced plans to host a 'Keep Fear Alive' rally on the National Mall
National Mall
The National Mall is an open-area national park in downtown Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. The National Mall is a unit of the National Park Service , and is administered by the National Mall and Memorial Parks unit...
on October 30, 2010.
The combined Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear was duly held on October 30, attracting nearly a quarter of a million participants. As the result of the rally, Metrorail set a new Saturday ridership record of 825,437 trips, as compared to about 350,000 trips on a normal Saturday.
Colbert Super PAC
On March 10, 2011, during a segment on 2012 presidential contenderUnited States presidential election, 2012
The United States presidential election of 2012 is the next United States presidential election, to be held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. It will be the 57th quadrennial presidential election in which presidential electors, who will actually elect the President and the Vice President of the United...
Tim Pawlenty
Tim Pawlenty
Timothy James "Tim" Pawlenty , also known affectionately among supporters as T-Paw, is an American politician who served as the 39th Governor of Minnesota . He was a Republican candidate for President of the United States in the 2012 election from May to August 2011...
's political action committee
Political action committee
In the United States, a political action committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group, regardless of size, organized to elect political candidates or to advance the outcome of a political issue or legislation. Legally, what constitutes a "PAC" for purposes of regulation is a...
, Colbert announced the formation of his own PAC: ColbertPAC. On March 30, Colbert hosted former FEC
Federal Election Commission
The Federal Election Commission is an independent regulatory agency that was founded in 1975 by the United States Congress to regulate the campaign finance legislation in the United States. It was created in a provision of the 1975 amendment to the Federal Election Campaign Act...
Chairman Trevor Potter on the program to help him fill out the paperwork for the PAC. On April 14, Colbert revealed that Viacom
Viacom
Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...
sent him a letter denying him permission to establish a PAC, but Colbert had Potter back on the show, who explained to Colbert and his audience that as a result of the Citizens United Supreme Court case
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, , was a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court holding that the First Amendment prohibits government from censoring political broadcasts in candidate elections when those broadcasts are funded by corporations or unions...
, Super PACs can be formed, which are less restrictive than regular PACs. Finally, on June 30, 2011 the FEC approved Colbert's bid to form a Super PAC. Troubled by the fact that large corporations were not donating to his SuperPAC, on September 29, 2011, Trevor Potter explained that corporations prefer to support political causes when the corporations can remain anonymous. Therefore, he helped Colbert set up a 501(c)(4) Delaware Shell corporation in which donations can be given anonymously without limit and used for political purposes. The name of the shell corporation, "Anonymous Shell Corporation," has Colbert as its sole board member. Donations made to Anonymous Shell Corporation can then be funneled to ColbertPAC without disclosing the ultimate source of the donation. Colbert asked what the difference is between this and money laundering. Potter answered, "It's hard to say."