# Is Colbert kicking Stewart's ass? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 9, 2005, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-colbert-kicking-stewarts-ass/334892 "2005-12-09T16:06:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2005, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-colbert-kicking-stewarts-ass/334892/21 "2005-12-09T22:15:52Z")
Also, as noted, Colbert has geek appeal. When Viggo Mortensen was on “The Daily Show”, Stewart played a recording of Colbert eagerly reciting the entire history of Aragorn. And of course there’s his epic novel, _Alpha Squad 7: Lady Nocturne: A Tek Jansen Adventure_. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-colbert-kicking-stewarts-ass/334892/22 "2005-12-10T00:10:13Z")
> [@Baldwin](#): > > Make that **eleanorigby**. Sorry. (Eleanor Igby?) I only put one R in because two rRs looked silly. And that link scared the bejeesus outta me. She is now on the “get thee behind me, Satan” list which I reserve for heavy hitting extremists (on either side). Seriously, WTH is her message to people? Shut up and stop thinking? Jeebus. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-colbert-kicking-stewarts-ass/334892/23 "2005-12-10T00:11:20Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > The problem lately with TDS is that the level of correspondents has gone down. The correspondents are more making fun of themselves rather than the situation. This may be because everyone is on to them, or the writing quality, but there are fewer drop dead funny moments any more. I think maybe you’ve hit it on the head. The bits seem more like an SNL skit than something fresh. Also, JS seems to be annoyed with the audience at times because they are applauding and he can’t get the comedic timing to work as well. Colbert has taken on a lot with the half-hour monologue, but much of it works. I have to admit, however, that I can’t stop staring at his mismatched ears. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-colbert-kicking-stewarts-ass/334892/24 "2005-12-10T00:28:41Z")
Colbert was fine on TDS, but I’m getting so I can’t handle a whole half hour of his “pompous right wing asshole” shtick. Last night I quit recording the Report. ---
**Author:** ![Kaspar\_Hauser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b3f665/32.png) [@Kaspar\_Hauser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaspar_Hauser)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-colbert-kicking-stewarts-ass/334892/25 "2005-12-10T02:16:00Z")
I still love TDS, but I think without Colbert, Carell, and Helms (is he still on?) it’s rather crippled. Samantha Bee is pretty meh. The Corddry brothers are pretty good, but IMO don’t rise to the level of the departed correspondents, and as great as Jon Stewart is, he needs some good people to play off of. _The Colbert Report_, on the other hand, is really hitting its stride. It gets funnier every episode. P.S. Check out [The Colbert Nation](http://www.colbertnation.com/colbertnation/), a “fan site” purportedly run by a teenager, with daily recaps of the show. The fan fiction section alone is worth a visit. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-colbert-kicking-stewarts-ass/334892/26 "2005-12-10T05:43:04Z")
> [@Kaspar Hauser](#): > > I still love TDS, but I think without Colbert, Carell, and Helms (is he still on?) it’s rather crippled. Samantha Bee is pretty meh. The Corddry brothers are pretty good, but IMO don’t rise to the level of the departed correspondents, and as great as Jon Stewart is, he needs some good people to play off of. He’s been bringing on a lot of “guest correspondents”, which I gather is a form of on-air audition. So far the audience hasn’t really gone wild for any of them. What I love about Jon Stewart was evidenced the other night when he was interviewing David McCullough about his book _1776_. Stewart actually _knew_ that one of the diary segments came from a 10 year old boy, and that a shift in the wind played a key role in the Battle of Brooklyn, etc.- Leno or Letterman or Larry King would have been asking him if he was inspired by the musical or making a lame joke about whether the Gabor sisters were alive or some such nonsense, and can you even imagine how Carson Daly or Adam Carolla would have mangled it? (“Man, it’s amazing that a bunch of basically redneck farmers in America got on that boat and went over to England and just kicked their ass! And then George Washington got to marry Pocohontas!”) On the other hand, it would be interesting to see a very drunk McCullough pulling a Steve-O style stunt on Carolla, especially with that distinctive _Civil War_ narrating voice. [Hijack]During the McCullough interview, when Stewart went to commercial break he said something to the effect of “when we come back we’ll talk about how both Democrat and Republican leaders have latched onto this book for their own purposes”, but when they came back they never went near that subject. I wonder if McCullough asked during the break not to discuss it.[/Hijack] _Colbert Report_ is growing on me but it’s not quite alive yet. It needs something. I think I agree with whoever posted above about his needing a sidekick. I will say he’s a lot funnier and more insightful than Dennis Miller or other infotainment “real media” hosts. ---
**Author:** ![Talon\_Karrde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Talon\_Karrde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Talon_Karrde)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-colbert-kicking-stewarts-ass/334892/27 "2005-12-10T07:45:34Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I thought Jon’s throwdown to Bill O’Reilly was the funniest thing they’ve done in a while. I agree. Wow. I haven’t seen him go on the attack like that before, but he should do it more often because it was incredible. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-colbert-kicking-stewarts-ass/334892/28 "2005-12-10T08:16:42Z")
> [@Talon Karrde](#): > > I agree. Wow. I haven’t seen him go on the attack like that before, but he should do it more often because it was incredible. He’s not an angry comedian these days, but when he feels like it, he can definitely turn it on. ---
**Author:** ![kinoons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a698b9/32.png) [@kinoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kinoons)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-colbert-kicking-stewarts-ass/334892/29 "2005-12-10T18:52:16Z")
I still find TDS able to be funny the majority of the time. Initial monolog is great. The staff reporters are hit and miss, but ususally get atleast a chuckle. The interviews are hit and miss too. It seems like the more polotical the guest can be, the better the interview is. When JS is interviewing actors or musicians the interview seems to fall a little short. Again, usually gets a chuckle here or there, but nothing great. Now, the Report is priceless. The Word segment has to be one of the best I’ve seen in a long time. The middle of the show is funny too, with “know a district” or “the threat down”. His interviews are hit and miss. If he finds someone to play off of him, its great. If the guest looks at him blindly and mouthbreaths, it’s no good. See the interview with the Richard Clarke? I think it was his best yet. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-colbert-kicking-stewarts-ass/334892/30 "2005-12-10T21:16:23Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Colbert’s fake thing with… You can stop there, since Colbert is a fake with, well, everything. To me, Colbert has never even bordered on amusing. He’s more like the sophomore in high school that tries to be sarcastic about everything and just ends up looking foolish. I’ve never found being intentionally obtuse entertaining. Stewart has more cojones than Colbert. To me, he’s a little more entertaining, but they both rate a “meh” or “meh-plus” to me. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-colbert-kicking-stewarts-ass/334892/31 "2005-12-10T21:38:15Z")
> [@Baldwin](#): > > Also, as noted, Colbert has geek appeal. When Viggo Mortensen was on “The Daily Show”, Stewart played a recording of Colbert eagerly reciting the entire history of Aragorn. And of course there’s his epic novel, _Alpha Squad 7: Lady Nocturne: A Tek Jansen Adventure_. You know, at this point, I’d almost be willing to buy Colberts book, as horribly bad as it sounds. Though that’s more then I’ll say for O’Riellly’s. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-colbert-kicking-stewarts-ass/334892/32 "2005-12-10T21:46:54Z")
For me, the Daily show I can take or leave. As others have said, it’s usally pretty good until it gets to the interview, but most of the time I start losing interest with the interview. The staff reports are very uneven, and I miss the old reporters. If I miss the daily show, I don’t feel too bad. On the other hand, I look forward to Colbert. He basically does O’Reilly better then O’Reilly, except doesn’t come across as being nearly as annoying and arrogent. I will agree with others that the interview segment is something I don’t really care most of the time if I watch. Though I got a kick out of him talking to Brian Greene, particulary since it seemed like Colbert had actually read the book. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-colbert-kicking-stewarts-ass/334892/33 "2005-12-10T23:16:01Z")
> [@Rysdad](#): > > You can stop there, since Colbert is a fake with, well, everything. Well duh. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-colbert-kicking-stewarts-ass/334892/34 "2005-12-11T03:08:54Z")
I like the show, but I miss him asking “President Bush: great president or the greatest president?” in is 534-part series “Better Know A District” (one of California’s southern districts is dead to him). ---
**Author:** ![initech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/439d5e/32.png) [@initech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/initech)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-colbert-kicking-stewarts-ass/334892/35 "2005-12-11T10:37:48Z")
I think the perceived loss of quality in the TDS is due to two things: losing Colbert (not just his segments, as he clearly made a large contribution to the writing and creative energy of the show) and the political environment. It’s a slow time, politically. No big races, no big scandals. As the 2006 race nears, you’ll see the Daily Show’s energy ramp up. In the meantime, it’s still an amazing 30 minutes almost every night. As for Colbert, I think the show is brilliant. I have these cable news idiot blowhards on in the background all day every day (I work at a news station–they frown on Buffy reruns), and the Colbert Report is barely parody. They’re creating a running story and a mythology on the show that’s really satisfying to watch (the aforementioned dead-to-him district, bitter hatred of bears and nemesis Russ Lieber come to mind). Colbert doesn’t have a co-host, but he does have a sidekick–the running fonts during “The Word” segments. It’s almost always incredibly funny, and ultimately pointed. The pre-interview strut has run its course, though. We get it. What I want is a spin-off from the Colbert Report. I’d like to see that eagle get its own show. It’s a perfect blend of Wal-Mart-aesthetic majesty and horrifying menace. The final approach to the camera at the end of the open is my favorite part of the show. ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-colbert-kicking-stewarts-ass/334892/36 "2005-12-11T13:17:54Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Ken Auletta was a last minute substitute, and it is clear Jon was not prepared - tough when interviewing someone about a story that has not come out yet. I think it speaks very highly of TDS that there are people out there willing to come on in the last minute > [@Voyager](#): > > TDS still wins in the interviews - Colbert doing the interview in character is a crippling problem, IMO. The problem lately with TDS is that the level of correspondents has gone down. The correspondents are more making fun of themselves rather than the situation. This may be because everyone is on to them, or the writing quality, but there are fewer drop dead funny moments any more. agreed - but I watch every time in hopes of seeing “Back In Black”. Rob Cordray tried to do TWIG, but that was Colbert’s piece thru and thru. I’ve noticed JS is doing a lot more muggin for the audience when they laugh at the graphics - not sure if I like that or not > [@Voyager](#): > > One thing on Colbert that is getting better and better is The Word. The one on Chavez offering oil to NY was the funniest thing I’ve seen in ages. It is a great concept, done brilliantly, and really plays off Colbert’s character very well. It’s my favorite bit - and I agree that “Chavez offering Oil” was hilarious (but I thought it was being offered to the whole US) ---
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-colbert-kicking-stewarts-ass/334892/37 "2005-12-11T16:40:33Z")
The Daily Show is definitely suffering from major losses in its brain trust: Colbert and Carrell. Jesse Helms has been phoning it in lately, so I 'd say he’s got his eye on something else, and who knows what Samantha Bee will decide to do once the baby arrives. Rob Corddry is still going as strong as ever, but all of the new correspondents are forgettable. Lewis Black does not appear often enough to make a really good impact. I’ve noticed that they are resorting more and more to a tactic of the old Daily Show under Craig Kilborn that Stewart and Colbert stated in a magazine piece last year they were glad to have left behind: Mocking more or less powerless kooky people, as opposed to invading the halls of power. But who knows? I had stopped watching TDS when Kilborn left, but tuned in when the 2000 election coverage on the “legitimate” news stations got mind-numbingly repetetive. Colbert’s comments that he had been at the station so long he had missed his daughter’s first words (then waffling, Florida-like, on just what those words were), were just the antidote, and I’ve been more or less hooked ever since, apart from a hiatus after last November’s election. TDS with Jon Stewart always shines on the political front, and and we are about to head into what will probably be the most watched mid-term election since 1994, so stay tuned. I gave the Colbert Report two weeks, and stopped TiVo’ing. Hardly laughed, ever. I don’t watch any of the right-wing jack-a-thons so the satire of it is lost on me, and there wasn’t anything else funny. I’ve noticed that recent promos for the show on CC havevfeatured only footage from those two weeks. I haven’t seen anything I don’t recognize. That does not bode well, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-colbert-kicking-stewarts-ass/334892/38 "2005-12-11T16:56:23Z")
> [@scotandrsn](#): > > Jesse Helms has been phoning it in lately Well, give the man a break, he’s old and North Carolina to NYC is a hell of a commute. ---
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-colbert-kicking-stewarts-ass/334892/39 "2005-12-11T23:17:42Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > Well, give the man a break, he’s old and North Carolina to NYC is a hell of a commute. Ed. Ed Helms, that was meant to be. Not a bad funnyman, and a hell of a senator. ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-colbert-kicking-stewarts-ass/334892/40 "2005-12-11T23:23:49Z")
I still like TDS, especially the monologues and most of the interviews. I don’t enjoy most of the reports, didn’t even like Colbert’s when he was still there. More Lewis Black would be nice, if he could keep up the quality. The Colbert Report I have found to be very uneven. Some of the interviews are good, others fall flat. The Word segment is almost always good. As **initech** mentions, it is Colbert’s sidekick. I think he works best when he has someone to play off of. Unfortunately, some of his guests just aren’t good at that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-colbert-kicking-stewarts-ass/334892.md?page=1)