Thursday night saw the end of the one of the most popular comedy shows in modern times, “The Colbert Report.” Host Stephen Colbert will take up the mantle of CBS’ “The Late Show” this fall after current host David Letterman retires.
When Colbert takes over the "The Late Show," though, he won’t be the same satirical conservative character he’s played during his run on Comedy Central. Instead, Colbert will be more of himself, taking on the role of a late-night television host like Jimmy Fallon on NBC’s “The Tonight Show” and Jimmy Kimmel on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
But if we are getting Colbert the man rather than Colbert the character, how much faith will we see on the new show, given his religious background?
I wrote back in April that Colbert was a man of faith, a devout Catholic, even though some of the material he’s shown would indicate otherwise. On his former show, Colbert plays a religious conservative, where his thoughts on religion are often believed to be a part of the act. But his history indicates otherwise.
In fact, The New York Times reported that Colbert teaches Sunday school and was brought up in a very religious environment. His mother, too, taught him religious values that he still holds true today.
Since that time, Colbert has brought religion to “The Colbert Report” and his other appearances on TV. As Relevant Magazine highlighted back in April when Colbert was announced as Letterman’s replacement, Colbert has talked about who God is and how important faith can be to a person and his or her community. He’s done interviews, too, where he explains how he talks to his children about religious topics, like the definition of hell.
But will he discuss issues important to believers on his late-night news show? Signs point to yes, especially since the news can be tied to religion (as was the case in 2014, according to Religion News Service). But only time will tell.
And let’s not forget that Colbert the character became immortal during the final episode that aired Thursday night.
Email: hscribner@deseretdigital.com
Twitter: @herbscribner