The Colbert Report is an American
late-night talk and
news satire television program hosted by
Stephen Colbert that aired on
Comedy Central from October 17, 2005 to December 18, 2014 for 1,447 episodes. The show focused 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. Furthermore, the show satirized conservative personality-driven political talk programs, particularly
Fox News'
The O'Reilly Factor.
The Colbert Report is a
spin-off of Comedy Central's
The Daily Show, where he acted as a
correspondent for the program for several years while developing the character.