The Colbert Report

The Colbert Report ( /koʊlˈbɛr rəˈpɔr/ kohl-BAIR rə-POR) is an American satirical late night television program that airs Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. It stars political humorist Stephen Colbert, a former correspondent for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. The Colbert Report is a spin-off from and counterpart to The Daily Show that comments on politics and the media in a similar way. It satirizes conservative personality-driven political pundit programs, particularly Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor. The show focuses 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.

The Colbert Report has been nominated for seven Primetime Emmy Awards each in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012, two Television Critics Association Awards Awards, and two Satellite Awards. It has been presented as non-satirical journalism in several instances, including by the Tom DeLay Legal Defense Trust and by Robert Wexler following his interview on the program. The Report received considerable media coverage following its debut on October 17, 2005, for Colbert's coining of the term "truthiness", which dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster named its 2006 Word of the Year.

The Report has had cultural influence in a number of ways. In 2006, Colbert won an online poll to name a bridge in Hungary, although after a visit from the Hungarian Ambassador it was announced that the bridge would not be named after him. Colbert has mobilized viewers to participate in numerous other such polls, including the Time 100 online poll, a contest to name an International Space Station module (which Colbert did not ultimately win but received an honorable mention in the form of a treadmill), and pressuring Sweden’s tourism bureau into giving Colbert access to the Twitter account @Sweden. The show’s "Better Know a District" segment also received attention after Democratic Party leaders including Nancy Pelosi and Rahm Emanuel warned freshmen Representatives from appearing on the show, a moratorium lasting until Pelosi took back her statement in exchange for Colbert’s support of the DISCLOSE Act.