Stephen Colbert (character) - Fictional Biography

Fictional Biography

Colbert's fictional history is not always rigidly adhered to by the show's writers. The comedian himself says that, "My character's history may not always be perfectly consistent ... There's my bio and there's my character's bio, and then there's my character's history, which is slightly different than my character's bio." His early life, prior to becoming host of The Colbert Report, is expanded upon in I Am America (And So Can You!).

Like the actor who portrays him, Stephen T. Colbert is the youngest of 11 children, born into a devout Roman Catholic family—the character's family was so devout, in fact, they sent their teenage son to an "exorcism day camp located in Canton, Ohio" when they discovered he liked Dungeons & Dragons. In his in-character appearance on The O'Reilly Factor, Colbert stated that he is of Irish descent and only adopted the French pronunciation of his surname to "get the cultural elites" on his side. Colbert has made conflicting statements regarding his middle name, which he has at different times stated to be Tyrone (Colbert's actual middle name), Tiberius (like that of Captain James T. Kirk), Lee-Harvey, and Qxyzzy. The character has said he was regularly beaten up in high school, and by the time he left for college he was determined never to be a victim again. As such, on the first day of his freshman year he walked into class and punched the first person he saw (unfortunately, this happened to be his ethics professor). He attended Dartmouth College (instead of his first pick, Hogwarts, claiming that his white owl led them to reject him), although his acceptance into the college appears to have been largely influenced by a claimed familial relationship with a wealthy donor, and graduated in the top 47 percent of his class with a major in history. He has also referred to Bob Jones University as an alma mater.

Prior to embarking on a career in journalism, Colbert worked as a carnival roustabout and a construction worker. During the 1980s, he was the lead singer and guitarist of an ABC-like New Wave band called "Stephen and the Colberts". The comedian portrays his character's younger self in the band's music video, wearing worn jeans, cowboy boots and a spiky hair style. Their only revealed song to date is entitled "Charlene (I'm Right Behind You)", one of numerous references to an ex-girlfriend (and cousin) whom he continues to stalk despite numerous restraining orders. This song has been made available for download for free in the video game Rock Band. On the May 14, 2008 episode, Colbert claimed to have been the "totalitarian ruler of Malawi from 1982 to 1984". He mentions that his wife's first name is Lorraine.

Colbert later moved into reporting, working in TV news for several stations in Virginia and North Carolina. Occasionally he will show footage of himself as a "young man" (portrayed by Colbert, wearing a false moustache) working as an anchor at a local news station (WPTS) in Patterson Springs, North Carolina, still displaying his trademark outrage over minor municipal issues in the manner of 20/20 correspondent John Stossel. In 1997, Colbert was promoted to anchor of the Channel 7 News on WPTS Patterson Springs after outing the previous anchor, Wayne Colt, for his cocaine addiction. His ensuing investigative reports into Colt's downfall earned him a local Emmy, and eventually a correspondent position at The Daily Show. This corresponds with the year the comedian joined the cast of the show.

Colbert often makes digs at the expense of Daily Show host Jon Stewart. He has implied a strained relationship with Stewart, in contrast with the real Colbert's admiration for the comedian, and suggests that his departure from The Daily Show occurred under dubious circumstances. The character has described Stewart as a sexual predator and has been known to become tearful when his name is brought up. On the other hand, Colbert has also implied that he only got his own show by blackmailing Stewart with incriminating photographs.

Colbert is described in America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction, to which he was a contributor while serving as a 'Daily Show' correspondent, as holding the positions of the Arthur Schlesinger Professor of American Studies at Harvard University, and of Chief Defender of International War Crimes at the World Court in the Hague. The book also states that he is the seven-time recipient of the Werner Heisenberg Prize for Excellence in Theoretical Mathematics. Paradoxically, Colbert is described as being barely capable of feeding himself as well as being "personally unpleasant".

Colbert was mock-knighted by Queen Noor of Jordan with a prop sword from The Lord of the Rings films, on his April 7, 2009 show in exchange for leading the "Colbert Nation" in signing the Global Zero declaration.