Stephen Colbert

Why don't they say it to our face?

Doesn't it feel like just yesterday that we mentioned that Idaho has an incredible knack for making national headlines for the most embarrassing reasons?

We’re still waiting on Jon Stewart’s official return after signing an HBO contract, but Stephen Colbert has thus far afforded the former Daily Show host ample opportunity to have his voice heard. Case in point, Stewart makes yet another Late Show return, as he and Colbert make sense of Trump’s relationship with the press.

It was back in August that Showtime first suggested Stephen Colbert might dive into the ring for an Election Night special, and after a grueling few months, we’re finally seeing some light at the end of the tunnel. Officially confirmed for November 8 is a live Colbert Showtime production, asking a very appropriate question as its title.

If nothing else, last week’s Republican National Convention brought the nation something it sorely needed, that of Stephen Colbert’s return to the “Stephen Colbert” character as only the Colbert Report knew him. That return landed Colbert in some legal hot water, however, so let’s meet his off-brand replacement, Stephen Colbert!

The Republican National Convention has certainly energized Stephen Colbert’s Late Show, but there’s little two ways about the former Colbert Report host struggling to find his voice on CBS. James Corden’s Late Late Show has only grown in the subsequent time slot however, but would CBS really consider swapping the order?

Stephen Colbert may be the wildly successful host of a popular late night talk show on a major television network, but that doesn’t change who he really is: a huge nerd. Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson said of Colbert, “I have never met a bigger Tolkien geek in my life.” The Late Show host appeared in The Desolation of Smaug and hosted a Hobbit panel at Comic-Con. But his geek cred is not limited to Middle Earth. Last night, Colbert delivered an impassioned prediction of how Star Wars: The Force Awakens will end, and the funniest thing is, he wasn’t joking.

The reviews for Stephen Colbert’s debut as the new Late Show host were mostly positive. Our own Matt Singer said the show got off to a “solid start” as Colbert took over for David Letterman, but the show almost didn’t get off to a start at all. On his second show, Colbert revealed that because of editing and technical glitches, his first episode almost didn’t make it on air.

Jon Stewart said goodbye to The Daily Show last night in equal parts star-studded and quiet, personal fashion as former correspondents like Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, John Oliver and Olivia Munn returned to pay their respects, while Bruce Springsteen closed out the slow with a performance — at Stewart’s request — of his 1999 song “The Land of Hopes and Dreams” and, for his fellow New Jerseyan, “Born to Run”.

We’re still feeling out a world post-Late Show With David Letterman, but Stephen Colbert is already gearing up and shaving down for his big debut. The former Colbert Report host finally ditches his Colbeard in prep for the September debut, and you may never look at hot dogs the same way again.