Have You Heard What Happened With Stephen Colbert?

Stephen Colbert, a master at satire and unrivaled  speech prowess, has been on our screen for well   over a decade now, bringing smiles and sometimes  unhinged laughter to our faces. For a person who   creates such an atmosphere, mostly out of rather  important topics like politics and religion,   surely one might think he’s had an easy  life and enjoyed success effortlessly   and without serious struggles. However,  he simply has not. How well do we know   Stephen Colbert? What heartbreaking life  experiences broke and remolded him into   who he is now? Join us as we discuss the  heartbreaking tragedy of Stephen Colbert. Early Life: Origin Story of Stephen Colbert Stephen Colbert was born in Washington, D.C.,   the youngest of eleven children in a large  Catholic family. In descending order of age,   his siblings are James the Third, Edward, Mary,  William, Margo, Thomas, Jay, Elizabeth, Paul,   and Peter. He spent his early years in Bethesda,  Maryland, before growing up in the Charleston,   South Carolina, suburb of James Island.. Stephen's upbringing was steeped in academia,   warmth, and religion. His father, James William  Colbert Jr., was an immunologist and medical   school dean who worked at Yale University,  Saint Louis University, and eventually the   Medical University of South Carolina, where  he became the school's first vice president   of academic affairs in nineteen sixty-nine.  Stephen’s mother, Lorna Elizabeth Colbert, was   a homemaker who deeply influenced her children. In interviews, Stephen had never been shy to   speak fondly of his parents, describing them as  devout individuals who also placed a high value   on intellectualism. They taught their children  that it was possible to question the church   while remaining committed Catholics, a skill that  will exponentially help his intellect and sharpen   his wit when he discusses religion in the future. Colbert’s father was interested in French humanist   writers such as Léon Bloy and Jacques Maritain,  while his mother admired Dorothy Day, the leader   of the Catholic Worker Movement. Despite their  intellectual leanings, Colbert recalls having a   conservative upbringing. His mother, for example,  voted for a Democrat, John F. Kennedy, only once   in her life. In a separate interview, Lorna  described Stephen as rambunctious as a child.   Growing up, Colbert noticed that Southerners were  often depicted as less intelligent on television,   so he taught himself to imitate the speech of  American news anchors to avoid that stereotype. Colbert sometimes jokingly claims that his  surname is French, though his ancestry is   actually fifteen-sixteenths Irish. One of his  paternal great-great-grandmothers was of German   and English descent. Many of his ancestors  emigrated from Ireland to North America during   the nineteenth century, before and during the  Great Famine. Originally, the family surname was   pronounced as “Kohl-burt” in English. Stephen’s  father preferred to pronounce it “Kohl-bair”   but maintained the original pronunciation out of  respect for his own father. He gave his children   the option to pronounce the name as they liked.  Stephen began using “Kohl-bair” later in life when   he transferred to Northwestern University,  seeing it as an opportunity to reinvent   himself in a new environment. His brother  Edward, an intellectual-property attorney,   kept the original pronunciation. This was  humorously highlighted during a February twelfth,   two thousand and nine, appearance on The Colbert  Report, when Edward asked Stephen, “Kohl-burt or   Kohl-bair?” Edward replied, “Kohl-burt,” to which  Stephen jokingly responded, “See you in Hell.” Stephen’s upbringing in a family that has eleven  children can be held somewhat responsible for his   complex worldview. His home was an intellectual  hub where they discussed topics ranging from   literature to theology, a consequence of being  born to a father who was in love with academics.   He must have been proud, watching these children  go on and on about intellectual topics. Imagine   a scenario where you have to argue your point  against ten other siblings who have their own   worldview. This is a huge reason why  Stephen can never seem to back down   from an intellectual tussle, he was born  into a brain tug, where everyone ensures   to pull the idea their way in a fierce  competition to assert their perspective. For a time, Colbert was uncertain whether he  would attend college, which is rather strange   considering who his father is, but he ultimately  applied and was accepted to Hampden-Sydney College   in Virginia, where a friend had also enrolled.  He arrived in nineteen eighty-two and majored   in philosophy while continuing to participate in  plays. Although he found the curriculum rigorous,   Colbert was more focused than he had been in  high school and was able to apply himself to   his studies. Despite the lack of a significant  theater community at Hampden-Sydney, Colbert’s   interest in acting intensified. After two  years, he transferred in nineteen eighty-four to   Northwestern University as a theater major,  realizing that he loved performing even when   no one was attending the shows. He graduated from  Northwestern’s School of Communication in nineteen   eighty-six, setting the stage for the remarkable  career that would follow. He and his family really   had a good thing going. But will this joy  last forever? We will find out soon enough. Tragedy Strikes: The Ephemerality of Life  The popular saying is that we know nothing  for sure, and while that might be true,   there is one thing that has remained  certain for as long as time immemorial:   the ephemerality of life. No matter how  long anyone lives, it is always too short. Stephen, who was born into a family of ten  siblings with whom he grew up, suddenly had to   deal with the loss of two siblings and his father,  who lost their lives in a plane crash. This tragic   bolt struck out of the blue on September nineteen  seventy-four when Stephen was only ten years old.  His father and two of his brothers were aboard  the Eastern Airlines flight two-one-two from   Charleston to Charlotte. A final journey that  ended just outside the runway. The plane crash   claimed about seventy-two lives, three of which  belonged to his own family. Suffering this type   of loss at the tender age of ten opened his  eyes to how ephemeral and fickle life really is. Suddenly, the Colbert home that used to bubble  with intellectual discussion and laughter had   turned silent, a silence so tangible you could  cut it with a knife. However, he navigated these   times with his mother’s patience and care, being  a beacon of hope and something to look forward   to amidst their shared grief and sorrow.  However, how did this crash really happen? September eleven, nineteen seventy-four  began like any other day for any family   except for the Colberts, who found themselves  at the tip of a tragic turning point. Stephen   Colbert’s father, Dr. James Colbert,  and his two brothers, Paul and Peter,   were aboard Eastern Airlines flight two-one-two,  a routine flight from Charleston to Charlotte,   little did they know that the journey  was going to end in catastrophe.  The aircraft is a Douglas DC-Nine and was  navigating a standard approach towards   Douglas Municipal Airport under what appeared  to be typical weather conditions; however,   as the plane descended, a critical air incident  occurred. Suddenly, there was fog that clouded the   sight of the pilots, and the cockpit crew couldn’t  really decipher their altitude, a mistake further   compounded by a fatal lack of cockpit discipline.  Later, during the investigation, they found out   that the pilots were not fully in adherence to the  formal landing procedures, which required paying   strict attention to the aircraft instruments,  just in case of poor visibility conditions.   At around seven thirty-four-ish a.m. in the  morning, just three miles outside the runway,   the plane descended too quickly, crashing into  a hillside filled with corn fields. The impact   was infinitely devastating; the aircraft was torn  apart, and so was Stephen when he heard the news.  The crash was so bad, and according to  reports, it was a rather gory sight to behold,   a sight first responders will never forget  anytime soon. Among the eighty-two on board,   seventy-two perished, including his family, but  ten survived. While the news created some problems   and stirred up the aviation community, they didn’t  feel the impact as much as the Colbert family did.  The community around him tried to help him  and his family deal with the pain of their   loss. However, the hole it left in their  lives was wholesomely deep and profound,   almost like a huge meteorite hitting the  ground. How did Stephen cope with this loss? Stephen Found a Coping Mechanism Stephen, who was ten at the time, was given the   chance to step into the manly shoes of comforting  their mother and the rest of his family. He   did his best to process this new reality of  loneliness that has engulfed his life. However,   he felt the pain deepest when he got into college. Let me paint you a powerful mental picture of a   campus with freshmen flocking from left and right  in a multitude and their fathers bestowing a   look of pride on them and lending out a strong  arm around to lift their heavy boxes. Stephen   explained that he had a big break in the cables  of his memory as he found it hard to recover his   past memories with them since he lost them at a  rather young age. At this stage, introspection   and solitude had become his sanctuary, and he  just couldn’t fathom a place out of them. While   children his age were bothered about other things  like video games or getting pajama sets that   matched their favorite shoes, he lived in a more  blacked-out version of childhood, dining with the   gloom and doom and having tears for dessert. Stephen had always had one thing that he   developed from his time arguing with his  siblings: sharp wit and humor. However,   since the loss of his father and two of his  brothers, he has found a new purpose for his   wit and humor. They became his coping mechanism,  a way for him to fill the gaping hole inside of   him. He kept silent screams in his head quiet by  creating an atmosphere so bright that the doom and   gloom residing in his loss could not comprehend. Despite the struggles in academics, which he later   revealed were because he just didn’t like the  conventional studying style, he found solace and   a safe haven in performance and literature. While  these newly found interests were solely based on   escapism, they turned into something more. They  became a passion that he couldn’t escape from.  As someone who has experienced loss,  he developed a well-informed character   that helps me navigate serious discussions  with some level of poignancy and levity.  His teenage years had seen him develop  some character that was way over his years,   owing to the unfortunate event. Forged from  the fire of grief, he grew into a sharp,   steel mind that was further enhanced by his  new-found love for scientific fiction and other   genres that stretched the imagination of man more  than the ordinary. He became an avid reader with   a very specific type of text. He loved the works  of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, the writer of The   Hobbit and Lord of the Rings and a dedicated  player of the Dungeons and Dragons video game.  These habits weren't just formed to  create pastime; they were actually   lifelines that helped him escape from  any natural thoughts about his loss. Early Career While attending Northwestern University, Stephen   Colbert initially focused on becoming a dramatic  actor, primarily participating in experimental   plays with little to no interest in comedy. His lack of interest nearly robbed a whole   generation of comedic astuteness. What  would we have done without his satire?  During college, he began performing  improvisation, joining the campus improv   team ‘No Fun Mud Piranhas’ and later performing  at the ‘Annoyance Theatre’ in Chicago. This was   during a period when Del Close's ImprovOlympic  emphasized competitive, long-form improvisation   over traditional improvisational comedy. Stephen  later recalled that he had no intention of joining   ‘Second City’ because the ‘Annoyance Theatre’  community viewed ‘Second City’ as less authentic   due to its mix of scripted and improvisational  content; they held a somewhat snobbish,   mystical attitude toward pure improvisation. However, after graduating in nineteen eighty-six,   he found himself in dire need of a job. A friend  working at the Second City box office offered him   a position answering phones and selling souvenirs.  You know what they say about not despising little   beginnings and all that? It seems like Stephen  knew it too, so he took the job. Fortunately, he   discovered that Second City employees could take  classes at their training center for free. Despite   his initial reservations about the comedy group,  he enrolled in improvisation classes and found   the experience more enjoyable than he thought.  It almost seemed like he had found his calling.  Not too long after his training, his  talents opened up a spot for him with   the Second City’s touring company, initially as  an understudy for Steve Carell. During this time,   he met Amy Sedaris and Paul Dinello, who  would become frequent collaborators later   in his career. According to their own accounts  about the time they all met each other, the trio   did not initially get along; Dinello saw Stephen  as uptight, pretentious, and cold, while Stephen   viewed Dinello as "an illiterate thug." Despite  this rocky start, they became close friends while   touring together, bonding over a shared comedic  sensibility. Lucky for the world of comedy,   they figured it out and became close friends. When Sedaris and Dinello were offered the chance   to create a television series for HBO Downtown  Productions, Stephen left Second City and moved   to New York to work with them on the sketch  comedy show "Exit 57." The series debuted on   Comedy Central in nineteen ninety-five and aired  until nineteen ninety-six. Although it only lasted   for twelve episodes, the show received positive  reviews and was nominated for five CableACE Awards   in nineteen ninety-five, including best  writing, performance, and comedy series,   and that was the beginning of his journey to  television stardom. His transition into comedy   is a testament to his resolution and fortitude  to do whatever needs to be done and do it right. Impact of ‘The Dana Carvey Show’ and  ‘Stranger with a Candy’ on His Career  Following his exit from ‘Exit 57’, Stephen  worked for six months as a cast member and   writer on The Dana Carvey Show, alongside  former Second City castmate Steve Carell,   and also Robert Smigel, Charlie Kaufman,  Louis C.K., and Dino Stamatopoulos, among   others. Although Louis C.K. was the head writer. The show aired on ABC in nineteen ninety-six, a   period when some avant-garde comedy was  on display. The show pushed satire to a   very daring limit, tempting viewers on a knife  edge and featuring some more nail-biting comedy.   After one episode, the sponsors fled the scene  as they were not prepared for the backlash that   might come from the show. However, they continued  but canceled the show after the seventh episode.  But Stephen surely wasn’t done yet. He briefly  worked as a freelance writer for "Saturday Night   Live" alongside Robert Smigel. Smigel brought  his animated sketch, "The Ambiguously Gay Duo,"   from "The Dana Carvey Show," to Saturday Night  Live, with Stephen providing the voice of ‘Ace’,   opposite Steve Carell, who played ‘Gary’.  Needing to make ends meet, Stephen also   worked as a script consultant for VH-One and MTV  and even filmed funny correspondent segments for   "Good Morning America." Although only one of  these segments ever aired, it led to a fateful   introduction to "The Daily Show's" producer,  Madeline Smithberg, who hired Stephen Colbert   on a trial basis in nineteen ninety-seven,  an opportunity he grabbed with both hands.  Like that wasn’t enough, he reconnected  with his favorite blasts from the past:   Dinello and Sedaris, with whom Stephen created a  new comedy series for Comedy Central, "Strangers   with Candy." The show was picked up in nineteen  ninety-eight, overlapping with Colbert's work on   "The Daily Show." "Strangers with Candy" embodied  after-school specials by following the life of   Jerri Blank, a forty-six-year-old dropout who  returns to high school after thirty-two years of   living on the streets. The show was known for its  rather offensive humor and politically incorrect   moral lessons at the end of each episode. A perfect example of this politically incorrect   moral lesson from "Strangers with Candy" is found  in the episode titled "Bogie Nights." In this   episode, Jerri Blank, the main character, joins  the high school debate team and ends up using   underhanded tactics to win. Jerri Blank uses  several underhanded tactics to win her debate.   Instead of relying on well-reasoned arguments,  Jerri resorts to bribery, blackmail, and outright   lies. She manipulates the debate by threatening  her opponents and sabotaging their preparations,   ensuring that they can’t present their case  effectively. Jerri even steals their notes   and uses personal attacks against them during the  debate rather than focusing on the actual topic.   Now it would have been more morally upright to  ensure that the ‘bad guy’ does not win. However,   experimental theater takes a lot of bravery  and maybe too much realism and verisimilitude   added to its concepts, so instead of a rather  cliché concept of the ‘good guy always wins’,   they opted for another avant-garde approach. At the end of the episode, instead of learning   a valuable lesson about honesty and fair  play, the show delivers the skewed moral   that winning is everything and if  you aren’t first, then you are last,   typically using the ends to justify the means; not  really something you want to expose children to.  Strangers with Candy gave Stephen the  time to rally hone his acting skills,   something he had been doing since he joined  the Second City touring group. However,   now he's able to use his humor and sharp wit to  get his comedic timing across to the audience   professionally. It would seem he had struck gold  with the invention of "Stranger with Candy.” The Daily Show For a man who was already on the rise,   The Daily Show was the perfect platform for  his career. The pivotal part of his career   that made him who he became today happened  in nineteen ninety-seven when he met "The   Daily Show's" producer, Madeline Smithberg. His work on ‘The Daily Show’ was nothing   short of impressive and transformative, marking a  significant chapter in his career. When he joined   the cast in nineteen ninety-seven, "The Daily  Show" was already a huge force on Comedy Central,   but Stephen Colbert’s arrival would soon add  a new layer to an already well-embroidered   comedic fabric. Initially one of four  correspondents, Colbert was referred to   as "the new guy" for his first two years, a  period when Craig Kilborn was still the host.  However, when it comes to television  shows, you can always expect a change   of host after a couple of years in order to  keep things fresh and keep everyone guessing.  The show saw its direction shift when Jon Stewart  took over as host in nineteen ninety-nine. Stewart   brought a fresh, political edge to the show,  driving it toward a more satirical and insightful   take on the news. Colbert, meanwhile, began  to carve out a unique niche for himself. He   wasn’t just reporting the news; he became a  parody of conservative pundits, embodying a   character that was, as Stephen Colbert himself  described, "a well-intentioned, poorly informed,   high-status idiot." This character was  like a misguided compass, confidently   pointing in the wrong direction, often clashing  with well-informed guests, and demonstrating a   charming yet glaring lack of knowledge. Stephen Colbert's persona wasn’t just   about laughs; it was also a canvas where you  can pain the most clever critique. He used   humorous fallacies of logic as his paintbrush,  painting a picture of political and social   absurdities. Fellow correspondents, including  Rob Corddry and Aasif Mandvi, took inspiration   from Stephen Colbert’s style, often noting how  they mimicked his unique approach to comedy.  One of Colbert's standout contributions was  the segment "Even Stevphen," where he and   Steve Carell, like two mock warriors of comedy,  would engage in mock debates about really serious   things, turning their confrontations into a  comedic spectacle. Another favorite was "This Week   in God," a satirical exploration of religion in  the news, complete with the iconic "God Machine."   His segments, from reporting on "gayness" in  British aristocracy to his mock presidential   campaign, were as varied as they were memorable. Stephen Colbert’s fame was starting to grow within   ‘The Daily Show’s structure, shedding his ‘New  Guy’ moniker like a snake shedding old skin. His   role even extended behind the desk, filling  in as an anchor when Jon Stewart was away,   proving his versatility and depth. He brought a  unique spark to the show, lighting up the screen   with his wit and satirical edge. By the time he  left "The Daily Show," Stephen Colbert had not   only won three Emmy awards as a writer but had  also left a huge mark on the show, with later   episodes even reusing some of his classic  segments under the label "Klassic Kolbert." The Colbert Report Following his exit from The Daily Show in   two thousand five, he decided to follow his niche  to a tee, leading to the birth of The Colbert   Report. His confidence in his ability is something  only a person with steely resolve could do. He had   the option to hide in his shell and lose himself  completely by staying on the periphery. However,   he closed his eyes and clenched his fist, raging  on like an erupted volcano, and decided to host   his own show and fill it with as much satire as  possible. One could say this is the point where he   threw the kitchen sink at it and he didn’t miss. His career took a whole new shape when he took his   own show into his hands. Stephen Colbert took his  satirical talents to new heights when he hosted   his own show. This show was a spin-off from "The  Daily Show," and it became an iconic parody of   television news broadcasting, specifically  targeting the cable news talk show format   popularized by legends of television entertainment  like Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, and Glenn Beck.  The ‘Colbert Report’ was a very different concept  from what the audience was used to. The show was   absolutely unique. It was a satire of  conservative political talk show hosts.   Stephen Colbert's character was a parody of those  types of commentators, exaggerating their traits   and viewpoints to highlight the absurdities  and contradictions in political discourse.   The show used humor to critique and mock the  style and substance of conservative punditry.  Interestingly, "The Colbert Report" began as  a fictional series within "The Daily Show,"   presented as a joke in a series of segments.  However, the concept quickly caught on,   leading to its development by Stewart’s Busboy  Productions and eventual green-lighting by Comedy   Central, who were eager to expand "The Daily Show"  franchise. The show premiered to strong ratings,   with an average of one point two million  viewers per night during its first week,   securing its place as one of Comedy Central's  top-rated shows within its first month. Colbert's on-screen character shared many aspects  of Colbert’s real life, though often with a   humorous twist. The character was depicted  as having a deep knowledge of Catholicism,   science fiction, and "The Lord of the Rings."  He was also from South Carolina, the youngest   of eleven siblings, and married, mirroring  Stephen Colbert’s actual background. However,   the character’s history often diverged from  reality, with Colbert’s acting and comedy   career downplayed or denied, and his alma mater  switched from Northwestern to Dartmouth College,   which was known for its conservative leanings  during the nineteen eighties, which is the   whole point of creating the character in the  first place; a satire on conservative politics. "The Colbert Report" left a great  legacy on television comedy,   being that it was an avant-garde television  satire, and it surprisingly got accepted   as Stephen was successfully blending sharp  political satire with a character-driven   format that made it both a critical and commercial  success. What was it about Colbert’s satirical   character that resonated so strongly with  audiences? And how did "The Colbert Report"   pave the way for future comedy that dared to  blur the lines between fiction and reality? The Late Show Stephen Colbert’s avant-garde style of television  satire has reached all corners of the television   landscape and entertainment industry, including  the ”The Late Show” franchise. It would seem his   experimental style of satire has now been  accepted all over the entertainment world.  After being announced as David Letterman's  successor on "The Late Show," Stephen Colbert   took over hosting duties in September two thousand  fifteen, marking a significant shift in the show's   tone. While David Letterman’s version of "The  Late Show" was known for its variety of humor and   celebrity interviews, Colbert brought a sharper  political focus to the program, reflecting his   years of experience in political satire on "The  Colbert Report." He has carved a niche for himself   and isn’t ready to let go of it. It wasn’t  much of a problem for ‘The Late Show.’ as the   producers didn’t force him to switch his niche and  follow the status quo. They asked for fresh blood,   and that is exactly what they got. He took the  show by storm, and he was amazing from the get-go. One of the early highlights of Colbert's  tenure was his hosting of the sixty-ninth   Primetime Emmy Awards in two thousand seventeen,  where his blend of wit and political commentary   was on full display. Beyond "The Late Show,"  Colbert has expanded his influence through   his production company, Spartina Productions,  which has been behind projects like "Tooning   Out the News" and "Fairview," as well  as his role as an executive producer on   Comedy Central's "Tha God's Honest Truth." For Stephen, comedy isn’t just comedy;   he sees it as a vehicle to propel change and  understanding. It is a tool for shedding light   on the uncomfortable or overlooked aspects of  life, politics, and religious morals. Through   his nuanced approach, he encourages fans to engage  situations with humor, wit, and critical thinking.   How does a man harness the darkest moments  of his life as a tool to light up America? Awards and Honor If there is anything   certain about the entertainment world,  it is the fact that effort and talent   are not only seen but appreciated. In the year two thousand, Colbert and   the other Daily Show writers received three  Emmy Awards as writers for The Daily Show,   and again in two thousand five and two thousand  six. A serious testament to their consistency.  Stephen’s fame continued to soar as he continued  grabbing hearts and turning heads on his new show,   ‘The Colbert Report,' and his consistency didn’t  go unnoticed. Hence, in two thousand five, he   was nominated for a Satellite Award for  his performance on The Colbert Report,   and again in two thousand six. He was also  nominated for three Emmys for The Colbert   Report in two thousand six, including Best  Performance in a Variety, Musical Program,   and Special, which he lost to Barry Manilow.  Manilow and Stephen Colbert later jokingly   signed and notarized a revolving biannual custody  agreement for the Emmy on The Colbert Report   episode aired on October thirtieth, two thousand  six. He lost the same category to Tony Bennett in   two thousand seven and Don Rickles in two thousand  eight. However, this didn’t stop him from working   as hard as he does or even considering  changing his niche. He just won't stop! Did you enjoy the video? Show  some love by liking, sharing,   and subscribing! Click the video shown on your  screen to watch another of our interesting videos.