Sir Dr. Stephen T. Colbert, D.F.A. (pronounced /ko?l?b??r/), is the persona of political satirist Stephen Colbert, portrayed most notably on The Colbert Report.

Described as a "well-intentioned, poorly informed high-status idiot," the character is a self-obsessed right-wing commentator with a strong distaste for facts. He incorporates aspects of the real Colbert's life and interests, but is modeled primarily as a parody of cable news pundits, particularly Bill O'Reilly. Colbert first appeared as a correspondent on Comedy Central's news parody series The Daily Show in 1997 and remained a regular contributor until 2005, when he left to host The Colbert Report, a spin-off satirizing personality-driven political pundit programs.

He has also been featured in a number of other public performances, most notably at the 2006 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, and as the author of the 2007 book I Am America (And So Can You!). Colbert appeared as a correspondent on The Daily Show between 1997 and 2005. During this time, the comedian developed the character that would later form the basis for his Colbert Report persona, one that its creator calls a "fool who has spent a lot of his life playing not the fool".

Colbert frequently cites Stone Phillips ?whom he describes as having "the greatest neck in journalism" ?as a source of inspiration for the character, as well as Geraldo Rivera, "because he's got this great sense of mission?He just thinks he's gonna change the world with this report." As a correspondent, Colbert was regularly pitted against knowledgeable interview subjects or host Jon Stewart in scripted exchanges which typically revealed the character's lack of knowledge of whatever subject he was discussing.

Other Daily Show correspondents have since adopted a similar style; former correspondent Rob Corddry recalls that when he and Ed Helms first joined the show's cast in 2002, they "just imitated Stephen Colbert for a year or two."

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