Stephen Colbert
Stephen Colbert trained and performed at The Second City in Chicago in the early 1990s before joining The Daily Show with Jon Stewart in 1997, where he developed the persona of a right-wing commentator that he parlayed into The Colbert Report (2005-2014) on Comedy Central. He has hosted The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS since 2015. His work represents the most prominent application of the Second City satirical tradition in contemporary American television.
Recommended Reading
Books are ordered from the strongest direct connection outward to broader relevance.
Fifty Key Improv Performers
Actors, Troupes, and Schools from Theatre, Film, and TV
Matt Fotis
Something from Nothing
The Technique of Improvisation
Richard Goteri
Truth in Comedy
The Manual of Improvisation
Charna Halpern; Del Close; Kim Howard Johnson
The Upright Citizens Brigade Comedy Improvisation Manual
Matt Besser; Ian Roberts; Matt Walsh
The Improv Handbook
The Ultimate Guide to Improvising in Comedy, Theatre, and Beyond
Tom Salinsky; Deborah Frances-White
Chicago Comedy
A Fairly Serious History
Margaret Hicks; Mick Napier
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Stephen Colbert. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/people/stephen-colbert
The Improv Archive. "Stephen Colbert." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/people/stephen-colbert.
The Improv Archive. "Stephen Colbert." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/people/stephen-colbert. Accessed March 17, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.