“The trouble with the jokes is that once they're written, I know how they're supposed to work, and all I can do is not hit them. I'm more comfortable improvising. If I have just two or three ideas and I know how the character feels, what the character wants, everything in between is like trapeze work.”

American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor and television host

Stephen Tyrone Colbert is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for his long run as the host of Comedy Central’s news satire series The Colbert Report, which aired from 2005 to 2014, and later for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS, which ran from 2015 to 2026. His work blends comedy with political commentary, especially through television. Colbert became widely known for creating a satirical news persona on The Colbert Report, then carried that public profile into late-night hosting on CBS. His career spans writing, producing, acting, and presenting, with his name most closely tied to television satire and topical humor.