Comedian Stephen Colbert seized his place in the pop-culture imagination as an over-the-top fake news pundit and anchor of the hit show The Colbert Report. Achieving record ratings and a massive fan base, the show has been a vehicle for Colbert to become a larger than life personality and household name. His sweeping satire, political bent, religious views, and cultural critique have led people to call him everything from “comedic genius†to “ideological fanatic.â€
Good comedy is about more than just getting laughs. Good comedy tells the truth, reveals that the Emperor has no clothes, and shines light into the dark corners of our world. While Stephen Colbert is no stranger to trivial silliness, his overall comedic voice is deep and profound. This voice – honed over hundreds of episodes, public appearances, and public stunts – is fundamentally concerned with telling the truth. Truth by satire. Truth by telling lies. Telling The Truthiness.
As Stephen Colbert begins a new chapter as successor to David Letterman on The Late Show, the chapters of Telling the Truthiness explore theologically the greatest and longest sustained satire in television history – Stephen Colbert on The Colbert Report.
Telling the Truthiness is not a biography of Stephen Colbert. Nor is it a mere highlighting of religious moments on the show that confirm Colbert’s Catholic convictions or religious sensibilities. Telling the Truthiness is an analysis and celebration of the art of Stephen Colbert as prophetic truth-telling.