--- description: In case you went to bed early for the last 12 years, watch this handy compilation of some of Stephen Colbert's most memorable TV moments. title: Stephen Colbert: A Video Primer image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltad0ea990d5852fb9/69868a3555a85962bda8040d/3colbert-close-up5470-2.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Late Night Television](/tag/late-night-television/) ## Late Night Television Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Stephen Colbert: A Video Primer by [Randy Stearns](/author/randy-w-stearns/) ## Randy Stearns Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 11, 2014 7:08 PM CUT  NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 8: Host Stephen Colbert appears during the "Been There: Won That: The Returnification of the American-Do Troopscapeon" special of The Colbert Report on September 8, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Scott Gries/PictureGroup) NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 8: Host Stephen Colbert appears during the "Been There: Won That: The Returnification of the American-Do Troopscapeon" special of The Colbert Report on September 8, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Scott Gries/PictureGroup)Scott Gries—Picturegroup/Comedy Central by [Randy Stearns](/author/randy-w-stearns/) ## Randy Stearns Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 11, 2014 7:08 PM CUT Long before he was tapped to replace David Letterman on CBS’s “[The Late Show](http://www.cbs.com/shows/late%5Fshow/ "undefined"),” Stephen Colbert was making his mark on late night television. From his “reporting” on Comedy Central’s “[The Daily Show with Jon Stewart](http://thedailyshow.cc.com "undefined"),” to his own “[The Colbert Report](http://thecolbertreport.cc.com "undefined"),” to black-tie events, rallies and animated movies, the one time actor and comedy writer who pronounces his surname with a silent “t” has become synonymous with no-holds-barred, politically-charged satire, at all hours of the day. ICYMI, here’s a handy compilation of some of Colbert’s most memorable TV moments from the past 12 years. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/59888/stephen-colbert-a-video-primer/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/59888/stephen-colbert-a-video-primer/"},"headline":"Stephen Colbert: A Video Primer","datePublished":"2014-04-11T19:08:12.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T07:16:25.976Z","description":"Can you tell where the character ends and the real Colbert begins?","url":"https://time.com/59888/stephen-colbert-a-video-primer/","keywords":["Late Night Television","David Letterman","stephen colbert","Late Show with David Letterman","CBS","the late show","comedy central"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltad0ea990d5852fb9/69868a3555a85962bda8040d/3colbert-close-up5470-2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Randy Stearns","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/randy-w-stearns/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltad0ea990d5852fb9/69868a3555a85962bda8040d/3colbert-close-up5470-2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"#cancelcolbert","caption":"#cancelcolbert","creditText":"Scott Gries—Picturegroup/Comedy Central","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/late-night-television/","name":"Late Night Television"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/59888/stephen-colbert-a-video-primer/","name":"Stephen Colbert: A Video Primer"}}]}] ```