Watch Stephen Colbert Break Character in Hilarious, 14-Minute Supercut
Throughout The Colbert Report’s brilliant, 10-season run, Stephen Colbert has been fully committed to his on-screen persona of a right-wing conservative, almost never breaking character or laughing at his own punch lines. On the rare occasions when the host does crack up, though, it’s comedy gold – and thanks to a hilarious, 14-minute supercut from Comedy Central, fans can relive Colbert’s most priceless Report laughs.
Plenty of clips find the comedian giggling at his own verbal blunders (“the phlegm-ageddon that has conquered my sinuses”) or tongue-tied mispronunciations (“no longer will your” gives him serious trouble), but the biggest chuckles stem from the show’s surreal writing. One memorable bit finds Colbert talking about the medical magnificence of Walgreens pharmacies (“Just last week, I got my annual colonoscopy at the photo center”); elsewhere, the host compares puberty to becoming a Southerner (“Your voice changes, and your testicles secede from the North”).
But the supercut’s biggest Colbert laugh – and one of the greatest Colbert moments, period – is the classic bit involving “Arab-American viewer” Suq Madiq, who donated to the Colbert SuperPAC. (The joke’s in the name pronunciation, along with his fictional parents “Liqa Madiq” and “Munchma Quchi.”)
The final Colbert Report episode airs Thursday, December 18th (and you can read Rob Sheffield’s hilarious “obituary” for “Stephen Colbert” here). On Tuesday, rapper Kendrick Lamar became the show’s farewell musical guest, debuting an experimental new track. Following David Letterman’s May 2015 departure from the Late Show, Colbert will become the new host of that CBS program.
“Simply being a guest on David Letterman’s show has been a highlight of my career,” Colbert said in an April statement. “I never dreamed that I would follow in his footsteps, though everyone in late night follows Dave’s lead. I’m thrilled and grateful that CBS chose me. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go grind a gap in my front teeth.”