Stephen Colbert reveals ‘Colbert Report’ finale date

Thursday night was a date that meant more for Stephen Colbert than just an average episode of his landmark “The Colbert Report.” It was also the first opportunity to officially label the last day for his show on Comedy Central.

Colbert confirmed that this day will be Thursday, December 18, which means that you will say goodbye to this crazy character right before you ultimately say hello to Christmas and New Year’s Day. It has been almost a decade since Colbert first labeled “truthiness” on the show, and sparked an internet and TV phenomenon. He’s interviewed countless big names, stirred up controversies, and made plenty of people laugh in the process.

Obviously, this is not the last time you will see Colbert the person on TV, but it’ll be in a very different form when he appears next. Stephen will be hosting the new version of “The Late Show” next year, but he will be doing so as himself rather than the character he’s been known for.

Ultimately, we see this transition for him as being almost entirely motivated out of a pure desire to try something different and to challenge himself. Financially, Stephen doesn’t need the contract that comes with hosting “The Late Show.” He is already set for life unless he plans to dump millions in insane purchases. We can simply understand the feeling that must come from having so much of your life spent with the public thinking that you are like this kooky person on TV; the fact that he shares a name with you may only make it worse.

Hopefully, we will have a chance to see some more great stories about Colbert’s grand send-off from the show in the weeks ahead, so stay tuned. Also, you can sign up to get some other TV updates on all we cover via our CarterMatt Newsletter.