20 Remarkable Facts You Never Knew About Stephen Colbert

[summer]

Salon


1. On September 11th, 1974, Eastern Airlines Flight 212 crashed three and a half miles from the runway in South Carolina, killing Stephen Colbert’s father and two of his eleven siblings. The pilots had been engaged in off-topic discussion (about the “A-rabs” taking over our country). The impertinent conversation the pilots were engaged in before the crash actually led to a new FAA rule, the Sterile Cockpit Rule, which prohibits pilots from engaging in non-essential activities during critical phases of flight.



2. The death of his father and two brothers led Stephen Colbert to a kind of social isolation, where he discovered Dungeons and Dragons and Lord of the Rings, of which he has an encyclopedic knowledge. In fact, he knows his Tolkien so well that, on a visit to the set of The Hobbit, he threw down in a trivia contest with the movie’s Tolkien expert, and won!



3. Colbert changed the pronunciation of his last name (from a hard T to a silent T) after a conversation with an astronaut on a flight to Northwestern, a college he transferred to after attending an all-male college for two years.




4. Colbert did not immediately have aspirations to be a comedic actor. He grew a beard in college, and intended on being a serious actor. His friend and collaborator Amy Sedaris called him “insufferable” during this period. It was Sedaris who helped to convince him to join Second City, although it would still be a couple more years before he gave up aspirations of being a serious actor.



5. In his pre-Daily Show days, Stephen Colbert was briefly a correspondent on Good Morning America.







6. Colbert was also a writer — along with Louis C.K., Steve Carell, Charlie Kaufman, Bob Odenkirk, and Greg Daniels — on The Dana Carvey Show.



7. Stephen Colbert once described the difference between himself and the character he plays on The Colbert Report as such: “I wouldn’t want to be that asshole. He’s got a tremendous ego. I get to pretend I don’t.”



8. For those who haven’t seen it, here’s a rare and enlightening look at Stephen Colbert — out of character — talking with John Kerry about how his appearance is going to go down on The Colbert Report.







9. Stephen Colbert really does teach Sunday school, and is very Catholic. At one point had this quote on his computer: “Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God.” In fact, he won’t do jokes about the sacrament.


10. Many years ago, Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert performed the National Anthem together in two part harmony, and it was OUTSTANDING.





11. Speaking of Carell and Colbert, the two good friends were also the voices of Ace and Gary on Saturday Night Live’s “Ambiguously Gay Duo.”




13. Before landing The Colbert Report, Colbert was the longest running correspondent on The Daily Show, preceding even Jon Stewart, as Colbert had been on during the Kilborn years. At 3:40.




14. Stephen Colbert is completely deaf in one ear. In fact, because of an operation he had as a child, Colbert can fold his ear inside out and pop it out when he squints.



15. Not only did Stephen Colbert have a cameo in The Hobbit: Desolation of the Smaug, but so did his entire family, including his lovely wife Evelyn McGee.



16. While doing genealogy research, Stephen Colbert discovered that it was the ancestors of his wife who were responsible for chasing the ancestors of Colbert off their land in Ireland. Colbert actually grew up two blocks away from his wife, but didn’t meet her until they were in their 20s, though they apparently went to the same summer camp. His wife, by the by, doesn’t really care for Stephen Colbert’s character.

17. Before he was “Stephen Colbert,” Colbert was in a commercial for First Tier Bank.



Back in the day, he was also in an episode of Whose Line Is It Anyway? and he was outstanding.





18. Two years ago, Stephen Colbert described Ontario, Canada as the “earth’s rectum.” A Canadian poll asked if the description was good for the city, and 86 percent said yes!



19. So as to avoid Southern stereotypes, as a child Stephen Colbert repressed his Southern accent, learning to speak without one by imitating news anchors.



20. The lone strike against him (debatable) is that once Stephen Colbert — who had voiced a character on The Venture Brothers — declined to return for a second season, having his assistant email the producers of the show to say, “Stephen has neither the time nor the interest in participating in your project.”

[waffletime]

Sept 9, 2015 14:44:32 GMT -5 summer said:

18. Two years ago, Stephen Colbert described Ontario, Canada as the “earth’s rectum.” A Canadian poll asked if the description was good for the city, and 86 percent said yes!

...Ontario is a province, not a city. >.> That is all.

[AJL]

11. Speaking of Carell and Colbert, the two good friends were also the voices of Ace and Gary on Saturday Night Live’s “Ambiguously Gay Duo.”

Ha! I thought so!

[msmerymac]

Sept 9, 2015 14:44:32 GMT -5 summer said:

11. Speaking of Carell and Colbert, the two good friends were also the voices of Ace and Gary on Saturday Night Live’s “Ambiguously Gay Duo.”

OMG this is amazing!

[msmerymac]

Sept 9, 2015 14:50:21 GMT -5 waffletime said:

Sept 9, 2015 14:44:32 GMT -5 summer said:

18. Two years ago, Stephen Colbert described Ontario, Canada as the “earth’s rectum.” A Canadian poll asked if the description was good for the city, and 86 percent said yes!

...Ontario is a province, not a city. >.> That is all.

But if they did, indeed, poll all Canadians, I totally believe 86% thought Ontario was the earth's rectum.

[meggers5]

Two years ago, Stephen Colbert described Ontario, Canada as the “earth’s rectum.” A Canadian poll asked if the description was good for the city, and 86 percent said yes!

So...ontario is not a city.

[CallingAllAngels]

I love him.  If I could choose a celebrity BFF, I would pick him. 

[tacosforlife]

I knew some of this stuff but not all of it. But this stuff is why I was confident he would rock The Late Show! He's hardly a Colbert Report one-trick pony!

[onomatopoeia]

Sept 9, 2015 14:57:28 GMT -5 meggers5 said:

Two years ago, Stephen Colbert described Ontario, Canada as the “earth’s rectum.” A Canadian poll asked if the description was good for the city, and 86 percent said yes!

So...ontario is not a city.

I actually think he called Windsor, Ontario "Earth's rectum", which would make more sense.  Because it kinda is.  I grew up north of there and we called it the "Armpit of Ontario".

Apologies to any Windsor-ites!

[waffletime]

Sept 9, 2015 14:56:33 GMT -5 msmerymac said:

Sept 9, 2015 14:50:21 GMT -5 waffletime said:

...Ontario is a province, not a city. >.> That is all.

But if they did, indeed, poll all Canadians, I totally believe 86% thought Ontario was the earth's rectum.

Lol, HEY. We have...some nice lakes and stuff. I mean, not Lake Ontario obviously, but some of the others.

[MrsAxilla]

Sept 9, 2015 14:44:32 GMT -5 summer said:

Salon


3. Colbert changed the pronunciation of his last name (from a hard T to a silent T) after a conversation with an astronaut on a flight to Northwestern, a college he transferred to after attending an all-male college for two years.

I knew most of these from his recent awesome interview on Howard. Except that isn't the story he told about his name. He said he asked his dad, who said he could pronounce it either way. His dad admitted to liking the "French" way, but because he was a junior, he decided to keep the hard T. Stephen went the French way. His sister, who ran for Congress several years ago, also uses the hard T.

Although he didn't say what prompted the question in the first place, so maybe it was an astronaut on a plane.

[meshaliuknits]

20. The lone strike against him (debatable) is that once Stephen Colbert — who had voiced a character on The Venture Brothers — declined to return for a second season, having his assistant email the producers of the show to say, “Stephen has neither the time nor the interest in participating in your project.”

Yeah, that was a bummer. The voice change was noticeable even though they tried to get a guy who sounded similar. At least Professor Impossible is a somewhat minor character so you're not reminded of it often. Also it apparently takes two years to make a new season so that gives you more time to forget.

At least he played out the entire series of Harvey Birdman. He was a perfect as Phil Ken Sebben.





I watch a lot of cartoons.

[Deleted]

Google says it is Windsor, Ontario, Canada, which is the earth's rectum.

And yes, everyone that doesn't live there would agree.

[partiallysunny]

I have not thought about the Ambiguously Gay Duo in a long time.

[msmerymac]

Sept 9, 2015 15:04:44 GMT -5 waffletime said:

Sept 9, 2015 14:56:33 GMT -5 msmerymac said:

But if they did, indeed, poll all Canadians, I totally believe 86% thought Ontario was the earth's rectum.

Lol, HEY. We have...some nice lakes and stuff. I mean, not Lake Ontario obviously, but some of the others.

Lol, I know. I grew up 30 miles from Ontario, if that. But YOU KNOW how people from outside Ontario feel about Ontario. Doubly so if you live in Toronto.

[Deleted]

Sept 9, 2015 15:40:06 GMT -5 msmerymac said:

Sept 9, 2015 15:04:44 GMT -5 waffletime said:

Lol, HEY. We have...some nice lakes and stuff. I mean, not Lake Ontario obviously, but some of the others.

Lol, I know. I grew up 30 miles from Ontario, if that. But YOU KNOW how people from outside Ontario feel about Ontario. Doubly so if you live in Toronto.

You mean Toronto is not the centre of the universe?
Seriously, anyone can admit that Toronto is not a rectum

[mbcdefg]

Sept 9, 2015 15:25:10 GMT -5 meshaliuknits said:

20. The lone strike against him (debatable) is that once Stephen Colbert — who had voiced a character on The Venture Brothers — declined to return for a second season, having his assistant email the producers of the show to say, “Stephen has neither the time nor the interest in participating in your project.”

Yeah, that was a bummer. The voice change was noticeable even though they tried to get a guy who sounded similar. At least Professor Impossible is a somewhat minor character so you're not reminded of it often. Also it apparently takes two years to make a new season so that gives you more time to forget.

At least he played out the entire series of Harvey Birdman. He was a perfect as Phil Ken Sebben.





I watch a lot of cartoons.

He also voices Mr. Witherspoon on Bojack Horseman. 

[4speedy]

I'm loving that the Canadians are insulted that Ontario was call a city but calling it a rectum seems to be just fine.

[simpsongal]

Just shows how circumstances can make a person's life - he's said before, he would have been a lawyer or accountant if his dad & brothers didn't die in that plane crash.  I definitely shed tears watching the episode when he talked about the death of his mother.

I love him - I really hope CBS supports the show. I don't expect it to be a phenomenon right out of the gate.
mbcdefg do you endorse Bojack Horseman?

[mbcdefg]

Sept 10, 2015 8:34:30 GMT -5 simpsongal said:

Just shows how circumstances can make a person's life - he's said before, he would have been a lawyer or accountant if his dad & brothers didn't die in that plane crash.  I definitely shed tears watching the episode when he talked about the death of his mother.

I love him - I really hope CBS supports the show. I don't expect it to be a phenomenon right out of the gate.
mbcdefg do you endorse Bojack Horseman?

I like him, too. He seems like he's a really good person, and I'd like to see him succeed. I watched the show on the CBS app last night and definitely chuckled a few times ... I think he'll be fine once he settles in. 

I like Bojack Horseman a lot. Have you seen it yet? There are a lot of quick jokes and stupid puns. There are a ton of celebrity guest voices, too. 

[tacosforlife]

We watched the first show last night. Definitely more mainstream than I'm used to from watching Comedy Central, but the Donald Trump bit with the Oreos was really, really good. As was the interview with Clooney. Decision Strike!

[simpsongal]

Sept 10, 2015 9:12:35 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

Sept 10, 2015 8:34:30 GMT -5 simpsongal said:

Just shows how circumstances can make a person's life - he's said before, he would have been a lawyer or accountant if his dad & brothers didn't die in that plane crash.  I definitely shed tears watching the episode when he talked about the death of his mother.

I love him - I really hope CBS supports the show. I don't expect it to be a phenomenon right out of the gate.
mbcdefg do you endorse Bojack Horseman?

I like him, too. He seems like he's a really good person, and I'd like to see him succeed. I watched the show on the CBS app last night and definitely chuckled a few times ... I think he'll be fine once he settles in. 

I like Bojack Horseman a lot. Have you seen it yet? There are a lot of quick jokes and stupid puns. There are a ton of celebrity guest voices, too. 

I haven't watched it. I've been trying to sway Dh.

[downtoearth]

I have heard about 9 of these from watching over the years and from Colbert's podcasts (quite a few Chicago ones - recently the The Late Show podcasts before he started the show on TV).

I haven't seen TLS yet, but will try this weekend. I hope it's funny.

[bowies]

I ran into him once. He's just a dude when he's not on stage, which I love him for even more. Stop making me love you Stephen!

[CallingAllAngels]

We also watched the first show last night, and I said the same thing as tacosforlife - that it was more mainstream than I am used to. I liked it though. H read that it took 3 hours to tape because they had technical difficulties. I wonder if that threw off the rhythm a bit.

[mcsangel2]

I did NOT know Carrell and Colbert were the Ambiguously Gay Duo! That is AWESOME.

[wise_rita]

I hope he's not a dick about being Catholic.

[downtoearth]

Sept 11, 2015 1:36:36 GMT -5 wise_rita said:

I hope he's not a dick about being Catholic.

Have you ever watched him?

[wise_rita]

Sept 11, 2015 2:26:16 GMT -5 downtoearth said:

Sept 11, 2015 1:36:36 GMT -5 wise_rita said:

I hope he's not a dick about being Catholic.

Have you ever watched him?

I have; he's fabulous!

Hence why I hope he's not a hateful shit pig in real life.

[downtoearth]

Sept 11, 2015 2:32:16 GMT -5 wise_rita said:

Sept 11, 2015 2:26:16 GMT -5 downtoearth said:

Have you ever watched him?

I have; he's fabulous!

Hence why I hope he's not a hateful shit pig in real life.

I think you know the wrong Catholics.

Nah, he's a loving, look for happiness sort of Catholic -

www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-zxn-YGUI4

He also had a Jesuit priest (can't remember his name) as a periodic regular on his show and the Jesuits are known as more intellectual and social justice leaning teachers.

 

He also is trying to get Pope Francis on his new show and always talks about admiring how joyful and loving the new pope is (in that clip and I think me mentioned in this, but I read the same thing somewhere else: www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/09/09/what-would-stephen-colbert-ask-pope-francis-about-being-a-fool-for-christ/).