"[8] On April 23, 2014, the character appeared on The Daily Show to announce that he had clearly "won television" and would be ending The Colbert Report because he had met his goal.

[12] In an interview with The New York Times regarding The Dana Carvey Show, Colbert noted, "If you have an opportunity to give it right to the audience, there’s a special connection that you make by looking at the camera."

[14] Colbert frequently cites Stone Phillips — whom he describes as having "the greatest neck in journalism" — as a source of inspiration for the character, as well as Geraldo Rivera, "because he's got this great sense of mission...

Because of this enlarged role, the personality and beliefs of the Stephen Colbert character have become more clearly defined over the course of the show, complete with a fictitious backstory that has been revealed piecemeal in short monologues accompanying a part of the program.

[19] In adapting the character for the Report, Colbert has also mentioned Aaron Brown, Anderson Cooper, Sean Hannity, Lou Dobbs and Joe Scarborough as having an influence over his performance.

I Am America is considered a pure extension of the Report; the written medium allowed the writers to employ different styles, such as long-format arguments, that they could not have used on television.

Both the real Colbert and the character were raised in Charleston, South Carolina; both are the youngest of 11 children; both played Dungeons & Dragons as teenagers; and both are practicing Catholics.

In one episode, he placed his brother Ed, a lawyer who advises the International Olympic Committee, "on notice" for refusing to grant the show the rights to air footage of a dispute between two American speed skaters.

[29] Ed later appeared at the start of the February 22, 2010 edition advising Stephen on how to cover the Vancouver Winter Olympics since his character does not have the television rights to the games.

By the time the Report went to air, the alligator story was several weeks old, and the writers chose to use a more recent news item involving a bear in its place.

Colbert filmed a satirical music video poking fun at Rain's popular single "How to Avoid the Sun" and referencing several stereotypical South Korean dishes and products.

[34] On August 23, 2007, the cast was removed on air and was put up for auction to the general public, complete with celebrity signatures, on eBay, where it achieved a winning bid of $17,200.

Sir Doctor Stephen Tyrone Mos Def Colbert, D.F.A., Heavyweight Champion of the World✱✱ featuring Flo Rida La Première Dame De France are mostly for comedic reasons.

Her Excellency was added to the title as Colbert was seated next to Michelle Obama at the White House state dinner in February 2014, in which the President of France François Hollande was not accompanied by a partner.

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.

The comedian portrays his character's younger self in the band's music video, wearing worn jeans, cowboy boots and a spiky hair style.

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.

[55] He has implied a strained relationship with Stewart, in contrast with the real Colbert's admiration for the comedian,[46] and suggests that his departure from The Daily Show occurred under dubious circumstances.

[58] 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,[59] and of Chief Defender of International War Crimes at the World Court in the Hague.

[9] Following the announcement, the character made a special surprise appearance on the April 23, 2014 episode of The Daily Show to report that it has become clear to him that he has "won television" and changed the world, the goal he originally set out to do, and thus no longer feels the need to continue.

Colbert confirmed his presidential ambitions on his October 16, 2007, show,[67] stating his intention to run both on the Republican and Democratic platforms, but only as a favorite son in his native South Carolina.

In an interview with Larry King he revealed that, as his running mate, he would consider Mike Huckabee (who himself jokingly offered Colbert the vice-presidential position[68]).

When it returned to air on January 7, 2008, without a writing staff, the character justified his absence by stating that he had taken some time off to have "a good cry" about his failed presidential attempt.

[74] On November 5, 2008, Marvel announced that its fictional newspaper The Daily Bugle was reporting Colbert's victory over both John McCain and Barack Obama.

Described as a "caustic right-wing bully",[87] an "arch-conservative blowhard",[88] and by his creator and namesake as a "well-intentioned, poorly informed, high status idiot", Colbert is egomaniacal, xenophobic and fiercely anti-intellectual.

This is expressed in his frequent attacks on and feuds with well-known figures such as The Decemberists, Sean Penn, Conan O'Brien, Rain, Barry Manilow, Tony Bennett, and Don Rickles (the latter three of whom beat out Colbert for Best Individual in a Variety or Music Program at the Emmys).

For instance, after months of scoffing at global warming, Colbert suddenly reversed his position, conceding its existence only due to the box office success of An Inconvenient Truth, a sign that "the free market has spoken".

In one instance, Colbert demands one of his staff members subject him to simulated waterboarding, only to break down into pleas for mercy upon hearing a water bottle cap popped.

[100] The first episode included an interview with Multinational Force - Iraq commander General Ray Odierno, which was interrupted by U.S. President Barack Obama.

Senator John McCain with a friendly reminder to "always remember to clean your muskets", a lesson he claimed to have learned at Valley Forge, as a reference to old age jokes that he faced during the 2008 Presidential Election.