As Stephen Colbert leads the final four episodes of his Late Show this week, I examine his legacy as a performer and host with experts including Daily Show alums Hasan Minhaj and Roy Wood Jr.
I was so traumatized by last summer's news of Colbert's cancellation that I couldn't bear to continue watching his show; thus, I've missed every episode since. Colbert wasn't merely a late-night host - he was a satirist, a political commentator, and, as you indicate, someone who spoke truth to power; truly, a contemporary prophet.
Colbert's White House Correspondence Dinner was the single greatest act of speaking truth to power, and it's not remotely close. There is no one in modern American history - not Lenny Bruce, not the Smothers Brothers - who directed his comedic critique at a sitting President in the way Colbert did.
Colbert is one of the nimblest comedic minds in modern history, along with a deeply embodied sense of morality that is the source of his comedic brilliance. No one can speak truth to power as Colbert has. It took him a long time to find his comedic footing on "Late Night," but once he did, he was the greatest source of opposition to Donald Trump.
Despite Jon Stewart's refusal to acknowledge the real, political, and moral power of comedy - he diminished his critique of Tucker Carlson to his face by comparing himself to "Crank Yankers." Yet, while Colbert wasn't the opposition in the political sense of the term - he was Donald Trump's epistemological opposition, deconstructing Trump's narrativization of reality w/ ease.
The night Colbert dismissed CBS' payout to the Trump Administration as a "big, fat bribe," I winced bc I feared he overstepped his bounds in light of Skydance's efforts to buy CBS. Thus, while I was stunned at news of Colbert's cancellation, also, I wasn't entirely shocked.
I have not come to terms w/ his cancellation; I relied on him to mediate my view of the world, thru deft, laser-focused comedic deconstruction of Donald Trump. In some ways, I feel like Trump prevailed, even as I anticipate a Democratic wave in the Midterms. Nonetheless, how will I make sense of reality now, w/ Colbert no longer helping me do so?
I have been following your work since you were on staff at the then St.Petersburg Times. I had several columnists that I read regularly, and you were one.Thankfully you have continued to produce excellent work.
I was interested in your comments about Byron Allen and his takeover of the 11:35 pm time slot. I mostly enjoyed his individual work. I thought he had disappeared from ‘the scene’ of television several years ago and I was sorry to think he wasn’t working in the field anymore. Little did I know that he was becoming a very wealthy man ‘behind the scene’. Good for him. Once in a while I would attempt to watch his shows presenting (to me, at least) unknown comics. Most were not that funny, used unnecessary colorful language that added nothing to the supposed humor. I have watched a few minutes here and there of his latest attempt at entertainment. I am disappointed again. But I thank him for the push towards an earlier bedtime for me. Not only are they not funny, they are not putting much effort into their “Acts”. They denigrate women, as do some of th female comics, they insult our intelligence, and they just don’t seem to care much that they are getting a CHANCE TO PRESENT to a wider audience. They have no interest in dressing a little better and seem to think they are in a high school buddy’s basement lounging around.
Thanks so much my friend! I realize now that I probably should have called YOU for this piece! LOL. But things are going very well, though crazy busy...
I write to you not merely as a fan, but as someone who has found in your work a rare and precious thing: a person who uses laughter, intelligence, and genuine heart to illuminate the truth. For years, you have walked onto that stage and reminded us — often when we needed it most — that joy and courage are not opposites, but companions.
As your extraordinary run on The Late Show draws toward its close, I find myself hoping — pleading, really — that you might give voice one final time to something that I believe speaks to everything your show has stood for.
In Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” there is a quiet, luminous conversation between Gandalf and Galadriel in the sanctuary of Rivendell. Saruman, with all his certainty and pride, argues that only great power can hold the darkness at bay. But Gandalf — dear, wandering, pipe-smoking Gandalf — gently disagrees. He speaks of the small things. The everyday moments. The courage of ordinary people who choose kindness when the world demands cruelty. He speaks of the Halfling, Bilbo Baggins, and why he chose him above all others — not for strength or sorcery, but because of his capacity for mercy, warmth, and wonder.
“I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay,” Gandalf says. “Small acts of kindness and love.”
Mr. Colbert, you have spent years on that stage doing exactly that. Small acts. Honest acts. Acts of wit wielded with love. In a time when the loudest voices insist that only power, dominance, and spectacle matter, you have quietly — and hilariously — proven Gandalf right.
I believe your audience would feel it in their bones if you shared that speech. Not as a footnote, but as a benediction. A reminder, as you take your bow, that the world is not saved by the mighty alone — but by those who choose, day after day, to show up with kindness and make people laugh.
Thank you for every moment. Thank you for being, in your own wonderfully strange way, our Gandalf.
Thank you for this!
I was so traumatized by last summer's news of Colbert's cancellation that I couldn't bear to continue watching his show; thus, I've missed every episode since. Colbert wasn't merely a late-night host - he was a satirist, a political commentator, and, as you indicate, someone who spoke truth to power; truly, a contemporary prophet.
Colbert's White House Correspondence Dinner was the single greatest act of speaking truth to power, and it's not remotely close. There is no one in modern American history - not Lenny Bruce, not the Smothers Brothers - who directed his comedic critique at a sitting President in the way Colbert did.
Colbert is one of the nimblest comedic minds in modern history, along with a deeply embodied sense of morality that is the source of his comedic brilliance. No one can speak truth to power as Colbert has. It took him a long time to find his comedic footing on "Late Night," but once he did, he was the greatest source of opposition to Donald Trump.
Despite Jon Stewart's refusal to acknowledge the real, political, and moral power of comedy - he diminished his critique of Tucker Carlson to his face by comparing himself to "Crank Yankers." Yet, while Colbert wasn't the opposition in the political sense of the term - he was Donald Trump's epistemological opposition, deconstructing Trump's narrativization of reality w/ ease.
The night Colbert dismissed CBS' payout to the Trump Administration as a "big, fat bribe," I winced bc I feared he overstepped his bounds in light of Skydance's efforts to buy CBS. Thus, while I was stunned at news of Colbert's cancellation, also, I wasn't entirely shocked.
I have not come to terms w/ his cancellation; I relied on him to mediate my view of the world, thru deft, laser-focused comedic deconstruction of Donald Trump. In some ways, I feel like Trump prevailed, even as I anticipate a Democratic wave in the Midterms. Nonetheless, how will I make sense of reality now, w/ Colbert no longer helping me do so?
I have been following your work since you were on staff at the then St.Petersburg Times. I had several columnists that I read regularly, and you were one.Thankfully you have continued to produce excellent work.
I was interested in your comments about Byron Allen and his takeover of the 11:35 pm time slot. I mostly enjoyed his individual work. I thought he had disappeared from ‘the scene’ of television several years ago and I was sorry to think he wasn’t working in the field anymore. Little did I know that he was becoming a very wealthy man ‘behind the scene’. Good for him. Once in a while I would attempt to watch his shows presenting (to me, at least) unknown comics. Most were not that funny, used unnecessary colorful language that added nothing to the supposed humor. I have watched a few minutes here and there of his latest attempt at entertainment. I am disappointed again. But I thank him for the push towards an earlier bedtime for me. Not only are they not funny, they are not putting much effort into their “Acts”. They denigrate women, as do some of th female comics, they insult our intelligence, and they just don’t seem to care much that they are getting a CHANCE TO PRESENT to a wider audience. They have no interest in dressing a little better and seem to think they are in a high school buddy’s basement lounging around.
Keep up your excellent work Mr. Deggans.
Nice. Hope u r well.
Thanks so much my friend! I realize now that I probably should have called YOU for this piece! LOL. But things are going very well, though crazy busy...
Dear Mr. Colbert,
I write to you not merely as a fan, but as someone who has found in your work a rare and precious thing: a person who uses laughter, intelligence, and genuine heart to illuminate the truth. For years, you have walked onto that stage and reminded us — often when we needed it most — that joy and courage are not opposites, but companions.
As your extraordinary run on The Late Show draws toward its close, I find myself hoping — pleading, really — that you might give voice one final time to something that I believe speaks to everything your show has stood for.
In Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” there is a quiet, luminous conversation between Gandalf and Galadriel in the sanctuary of Rivendell. Saruman, with all his certainty and pride, argues that only great power can hold the darkness at bay. But Gandalf — dear, wandering, pipe-smoking Gandalf — gently disagrees. He speaks of the small things. The everyday moments. The courage of ordinary people who choose kindness when the world demands cruelty. He speaks of the Halfling, Bilbo Baggins, and why he chose him above all others — not for strength or sorcery, but because of his capacity for mercy, warmth, and wonder.
“I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay,” Gandalf says. “Small acts of kindness and love.”
Mr. Colbert, you have spent years on that stage doing exactly that. Small acts. Honest acts. Acts of wit wielded with love. In a time when the loudest voices insist that only power, dominance, and spectacle matter, you have quietly — and hilariously — proven Gandalf right.
I believe your audience would feel it in their bones if you shared that speech. Not as a footnote, but as a benediction. A reminder, as you take your bow, that the world is not saved by the mighty alone — but by those who choose, day after day, to show up with kindness and make people laugh.
Thank you for every moment. Thank you for being, in your own wonderfully strange way, our Gandalf.
With deep admiration and genuine affection,
A Grateful Fan