Comedy Central, the Viacom Inc. network that airs the show, stoked speculation about the fate of “The Colbert Report” when it issued a cryptic statement today cancelling the tapings of the show scheduled for the remainder of this week.
“Due to unforeseen circumstances, the show will air repeat episodes on Wednesday, February 15 and Thursday, February 16,” network spokesman Steve Albani said in an emailed statement.
One month ago I took the brave step of endorsing a comedian for President, Stephen Colbert.
The nation took notice.
But Candidate Colbert was still something of a joke, specially because he had a hard time getting on the Republican ballot in South Carolina. He did get Herman Cain’s spot but that didn’t count for much.
But now…now something different has begun to take shape. The show did not go on last night. Instead a rerun aired. All production has ceased for the time being. No explanation has been given.
Obviously we hope that this is not because of a family or personal matter (in which case we send Mr. Colbert our thoughts and prayers).
No we hope that this abrupt stop in production is because our man Stephen has decided upon an independent run at the White House.
Who needs primaries, rigged caucuses, and all the rest. There’s no such thing as one-person-one-vote in our country. In several primaries your vote gets prorated based on the percentage of eligible voters who showed up to vote in the past. So if you live in a traditionally poor or minority community where voting has been light, your vote literally counts less than in some rich suburb where everyone has always gone to the polls. And if you happen not to have a driver’s license, even if you are American citizen in good standing, you are shit out of luck. Don’t get me started on the Electoral College, Al Gore, and the Supreme Court. Two Iraq wars later we are still paying the price for electing a President who didn’t win the popular vote.
Anyhow, what we need is a strong independent candidate for President. And that man is none other than Stephen Colbert.
Let’s all get our rosary beads out and pray that he is forming his campaign staff now.
UPDATE 4:45 Slate is reporting that production was in fact cancelled for a family emergency. We wish our man well, hope his family situation is resolved okay, and then turns his attention to the White House.
We all wish Stephen’s mom well.
Responding to the initial spirit of Tom’s post I would say: credible studies show that just as older conservative voters take Fox News to the bank, younger progressive voters give similar political credibility to entertainers like Stewart and Colbert. That said, one wonders if, like a Ron Paul independent run might doom Romney, a Colbert Independent run might elect Romney.
Mark…THE HORROR.
From WSJ reports, etc., Colbert is dealing with an illness in his family. So, Gabi Coatsworth’s idea of adjusting this post is a good one.
There’s humor, and there’s humor. Sometimes we’re attempting humor, and it doesn’t work.
In the case of this article, it isn’t funny.
It’s one of those times in life where getting the facts first is a prudent idea.
Gabi and Elizabeth I did adjust the post at 4:30 as soon as I saw what was really going on.
Thank you, Tom. You did the right thing in adjusting the post.
However, you might want to consider moving the update to the top of the story.
Your piece then works.
I’m a big Colbert fan, too. Love his show. Love what he’s doing with his SuperPac to educate America. He’s quite brilliant. And, an amazing family man.
It appears his mother is very ill…you might want to adjust this post
I seriously doubt the conclusion of this theoretical story is true.
It’s simply not Colbert’s style to suddenly halt production.
It seems to be more like a family or personal matter.
Tank Driver Moms, too. Although where I’ll get my news and views now is a true mystery.
What the heck is with the headline of this article? I saw it posted on Facebook this way and thought “No way…” so I clicked, but there’s NOTHING in the article to support the claim in the headline. No one knows why he suspended production yet, so your presumptive headline is misleading. The former journalist in me is annoyed, and the web admin in me is suspicious of what seems, on the surface, like link-baiting. Come on, guys, you produce quality content, you don’t need to resort to online marketing gimmicks. Says the professional online marketer. (I know attacking GMP… Read more »
Hey KKZ we do a lot of serious stuff. I was just trying to be funny. The idea that he would run for office based on our endorsement is ludicrous so I figured people would get its a joke. I also put on the subhead on our homepage “not really but…” to make it clear. Sorry if you got it off a tweet and was confused.
I’d be happy to volunteer my assistance on Mr. Colbert’s campaign for president. Hockey Moms for Colbert.
Has a nice ring to it Joss.