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The following is a list of sketches, segements, and jokes which debuted on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS. [1]
An opening sketch, often featuring an actual news story, but with fake network logos (often parodying CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, ABC News, C-SPAN, or PBS NewsHour ), followed by a comic segment parodying the story. Sometimes the sketch is a song parody. During the early years of the show the cold open usually featured Colbert and some of his producers like Liz Levin or Paul Dinello.
A segement in which Colbert talks about news referring to different religions and spiritual beliefs, such as Buddhism, or the First Church of Cannabis. The title is a play on the phrase Get All Up in Your Face, which means to confront somebody in an aggressive way. It functions in a similar way to This Week in God , an early The Daily Show segment hosted by Colbert. Described as the show's "eternal segment", it only has had four editions so far. [2]
Covetton House is Colbert's take on celebrity luxury brands, especially Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop. Each sketch typically features everyday products with fancy names and jacked-up prices. Some items were available for sale at Goop's website, with all proceeds going to charity.
Colbert invites a member of the audience up to read holiday/special event cards and their "first drafts", which poke fun at the event in question. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Colbert's wife Evelyn McGee took the place of the audience member. In the first edition, producer Paul Dinello handed Stephen the cards.
Colbert shares the latest news about technology, discussing things like Artificial Intelligence, robots, and often mocking the most absurd new products.
Colbert jokes about lesser-known and funny news, such as Philadelphia Flyers' new mascot Gritty and Buffalo Wild Wings' new BBQ pumpkin spice wings, that he claims he could not fit into the monologue. The segment always starts with an elaborate metaphor explaining the segment. In the period during the COVID-19 pandemic when the show was not taped in the Ed Sullivan Theater, it was called "Quarantinewhile," a portmanteau of quarantine and meanwhile.
Colbert answers video questions submitted by children. The sketch typically begins and ends with Colbert complaining about the title. (The sketch has had numerous titles, including Stephen Takes Your Kids, Stephen's Re-Education Camp, Stephen Colbert Is Watching Your Children, Stephen Doesn't Care About Your Kids, Stephen Colbert Is Short And Punchy. and Stephen Colbert Talks Down to Children.)
A segment of the opening monologue telling jokes related to outer space. Space News is now a stand-alone segment.
Stephen covers youth-related issues and trends, though because of his age, he will bring writer, and "Certified Young Person", Eliana Kwartler to help. Kwartler will often use the explanation as a ruse to get a raise, which Colbert always denies. In the first edition, writers Glenn Eichler, Felipe Torres Medina, and writer's assistant Cara Washington fulfilled this role. [3] Earlier pieces talking about youth-related issues also featured Kwartler. [4] A similar segment, focused on fashion trends is called Stephen Colbert's Slay Your Fleek. [5]
Stephen talks about news related to billionaires, and their plans to prepare for the apocalypse. It usually ends with Colbert suggesting a social uprising. The title is a play on the phrase Bitch, Please! and the graphics feature a wad of cash, named Cashy, as the segment's mascot. An earlier version of the segment was called Rich People. They Are Just Not Like Us. Us Pay Taxes. [6] During quarantine a similar segment, focusing on the woes of late-stage capitalism, such as water scarcity, and the unlimited power of corporations, was titled Uh-Oh. [7] [8]
Stephen covers the latest science-related news. The title is a play on Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence", with the graphics featuring Colbert as both members of the duo, and the first line as the theme song.
Colbert and a guest sit under the stars and have absurd conversations about topics. Such conversations include killing baby Hitler, what Santa does the rest of the year, and whether they would rather have feet for hands or hands for feet.
The Questionert (pronounced "questionnaire") is a series of 15 questions designed to get to know celebrities. They include "What is your least favorite smell?", "What number am I (Colbert) thinking of?", and "Describe the rest of your life in five words". Many of these are pre-recorded and aired on special Friday episodes.
Colbert and a guest host a community calendar of events in the guest's hometown. Based from Colbert's special appearance at Only in Monroe, a local public access program in Monroe, Michigan, with Eminem as his guest.
Colbert and his lead guest hold a family meeting in character as the concerned "parents" of the US.
Colbert and a guest talk in Colbert's "personal space"—a cardboard box, labeled "Personal Space," just big enough for their heads and the camera. [30]
Colbert and his lead guest try to help find homes for dogs up for adoption by making up stories about them (such as claiming one dog knows the lyrics to the Frozen song "Let It Go", but will not sing them).
Source: [31]
Members of Colbert's staff each ask one question to a celebrity.
Stephen Tyrone Colbert is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program The Colbert Report from 2005 to 2014 and the CBS talk program The Late Show with Stephen Colbert since September 2015.
The Ambiguously Gay Duo is an American animated comedy sketch that debuted on The Dana Carvey Show before moving to its permanent home on Saturday Night Live. It is created and produced by Robert Smigel and J. J. Sedelmaier as part of the Saturday TV Funhouse series of sketches. It follows the adventures of Ace and Gary, voiced by Stephen Colbert and Steve Carell, respectively, two superheroes whose sexual orientation is a matter of dispute, and a cavalcade of characters preoccupied with the question.
Robert Smigel is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, producer, and puppeteer, known for his Saturday Night Live "TV Funhouse" cartoon shorts and as the puppeteer and voice behind Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. He also co-wrote the first two Hotel Transylvania films, You Don't Mess with the Zohan, and Leo, all starring Adam Sandler.
Triumph the Insult Comic Dog is a puppet character created, puppeteered, and voiced by actor/comedian/director Robert Smigel. As his name indicates, Triumph's comedic style is almost exclusively insult comedy. A Montenegrin Mountain Hound, Triumph often is seen with a cigar in his mouth, which usually falls out of it when he starts talking. He first appeared in 1997 on NBC's Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and also appeared on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien from time to time, as well as the short-lived TV Funhouse, TBS's Conan, Adult Swim's The Jack and Triumph Show, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and The Daily Show. Smigel and Triumph have been ejected from several events for Triumph's antics, including the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, the Honolulu line for auditions for American Idol, and the 2004 Democratic National Convention.
Saturday TV Funhouse is a segment on NBC's Saturday Night Live featuring cartoons created by SNL writer Robert Smigel. 101 "TV Funhouse" segments aired on SNL between 1996 and 2008, with one further segment airing in 2011. It also spawned a short-lived spinoff series, TV Funhouse, that aired on Comedy Central.
The Colbert Report is an American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by Stephen Colbert that aired four days a week on Comedy Central from October 17, 2005, to December 18, 2014, for 1,447 episodes. The show focused 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. Furthermore, the show satirized conservative personality-driven political talk programs, particularly Fox News's The O'Reilly Factor. The Colbert Report is a spin-off of Comedy Central's The Daily Show, where Colbert was a correspondent from 1997 to 2005.
The Dana Carvey Show is an American surreal sketch comedy television show that aired on ABC during the spring of 1996. Dana Carvey was the host and principal player on the show while Louis C.K. served as head writer.
Brian Stack is an American actor, comedian, and writer best known for his sketch comedy work. He worked on all three late-night talk shows hosted by Conan O'Brien including Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien on NBC, and Conan on TBS. Stack left Conan in April 2015 to join the writing staff of the CBS series The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
"I'm Just a Bill" is a 1976 Schoolhouse Rock! segment, featuring a song of the same title written by Dave Frishberg. The segment debuted as part of "America Rock," the third season of the Schoolhouse Rock! series.
The Reverend Sir Dr. Stephen T. Mos Def Colbert D.F.A., Heavyweight Champion of the World, is the fictionalized persona of political satirist Stephen Colbert, as portrayed on the Comedy Central series The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, and occasionally on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS. Described as a "well-intentioned, poorly informed high-status idiot" and a "self-important right-wing commentator", the character incorporates aspects of the real Colbert's life and interests but is primarily a parody of cable news pundits, particularly former Fox News prime time host Bill O'Reilly.
Donald Trump, President of the United States from 2017 to 2021, has attracted considerable media attention during his career as a celebrity personality, businessman, and politician. He has been portrayed and appeared in popular culture since the 1980s, including several cameo appearances on film and television.
VH1 ILL-ustrated is an adult animated sketch comedy television series that aired on VH1 and was conceived by animation producer Bob Cesca that parodied pop culture and politics. This is the only half-hour TV series that Cesca's Camp Chaos Productions created and produced. Recurring characters include satirical caricatures of Axl Rose, Michael Jackson, among others.
Animaniacs is an American animated comedy musical television series created by Tom Ruegger for Fox's Fox Kids block in 1993, before moving to The WB in 1995, as part of its Kids' WB afternoon programming block, until the series ended on November 14, 1998. It is the second animated series produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment in association with Warner Bros. Animation, after Tiny Toon Adventures. It initially ran a total of 99 episodes, along with a feature-length film, Wakko's Wish. Reruns later aired on Cartoon Network from 1997 to 2001, Nickelodeon from 2001 to 2003, Nicktoons from 2003 to 2005, and Discovery Family from 2012 to 2014.
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon is an American late-night talk show hosted by actor and comedian Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It is the seventh incarnation of NBC's long-running Tonight Show franchise, with Fallon serving as the sixth host. The show also stars sidekick and announcer Steve Higgins and house band The Roots. The Tonight Show is produced by Katie Hockmeyer and executive-produced by Lorne Michaels. The show records from Studio 6B in Rockefeller Center, New York City, which is the same studio in which Tonight Starring Jack Paar and then The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson were produced from 1957 until 1972.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is an American late-night news and political satire talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert, which premiered on September 8, 2015. Produced by Spartina Productions and CBS Studios, it is the second iteration of CBS' Late Show franchise. The program is taped at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City, the same studio as its predecessor Late Show with David Letterman. It airs new episodes live to tape in most U.S. markets Mondays to Thursdays at 11:35 p.m. ET/PT, as with its competitors Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
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Our Cartoon President is an American adult animated satirical television series that premiered on February 11, 2018, and ended on November 8, 2020, on Showtime. The series was created by Stephen Colbert, Chris Licht, Matt Lappin, Tim Luecke, and R. J. Fried and is based on a recurring segment from Colbert's late-night talk show The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Stephen Colbert Presents Tooning Out the News (TOTN) is an American live-action/animated satirical news television show created and executive produced by comedian and The Late Show host Stephen Colbert, R. J. Fried, Chris Licht and Tim Luecke. The series premiered on CBS All Access on April 7, 2020. The series has received mixed-to-positive reviews and several accolades, including a Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Award nomination.