Stephen Colbert, the popular host of The Colbert Report on Comedy Central, stepped out of character on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday to discuss the role of satire in the political process, how he goes about constructing his show and his feelings about the presidential race.
On that later point, Colbert marveled at Mitt Romney’s recent turn of fortune following the first of three presidential debates.
“He was just a walking, shambling mound of weakness,” Colbert said, adding that, “Now he’s the man. He has these long luscious coattails and everyone is jumping on board.”
Regarding his show, Colbert joked, “I don’t really watch the news. I get here at about 6 p.m. every day and just say the opposite of what Rachel Maddow said the night before.”
Getting serious, Colbert said he likes to engage his viewers by throwing himself into the news. He calls his character an “active idiot,” who throws himself into situations that he should have no business participating in. His creation of a super PAC and his testimony before Congress are only two examples.
“I like playing political games to see what happens in them,” Colbert said. “I try to put myself in the news… I falsely deconstruct the news. The closer it is to me, the less you can trust it.”
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