Stephen Colbert’s hosting legacy is centered on “truthiness,” the idea of believing something because it feels true regardless of facts. The concept appeared early in his Colbert Report, including a parody of TV pundits and a line rejecting books as lacking heart. His Late Show ended after an 11-year run despite strong ratings, with some viewing the cancellation as connected to his stance toward truth in the context of President Trump. Roy Wood Jr. credits Colbert with demonstrating the power of sticking to truth without blinking, especially during a sensitive administration. Hasan Minhaj credits Colbert with meeting each moment as a nightly host and evolving as a satirist while deepening his relationship with audiences.
"Truthiness. Colbert highlighted it on the very first episode of his Colbert Report, a spinoff of The Daily Show which featured him as a blown-up parody of TV pundits like original Fox News Channel star Bill O'Reilly championing the idea of believing something because it feels true, regardless of the facts. "I don't trust books," he says in a segment from that first show. "They're all facts and no heart.""
"Stephen Colbert has shown, more so than anyone else of this modern era of late night, the power of sticking to the truth. "It's pretty dope that he didn't blink," Wood adds. "In fact, he went harder. This is by far the most sensitive administration we've ever had to deal with as comedians. He didn't bat an eye.""
"Hasan Minhaj, another Daily Show alum who hosted his own topical program for Netflix called Patriot Act, says Colbert showed how satirists could evolve while developing a relationship with their audience over decades going from a top Daily Show correspondent to playing a character on the Colbert Report to revealing more of himself as host of the Late Show. "What Stephen did, is he was constantly meeting the moment," Minhaj adds. "When you're hosting a nightly program, every day is a new moment.""
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