Top 5 Things We Learned About Stephen Colbert From Oprah

Talk show hosts interviewing talk show hosts is nothing new. Heck, if you're a regular viewer of our Weekly Guest Schedule line-ups, you know most hosts land on another talk show at least once a week. But when a talk show host sits down with Oprah Winfrey - well, that's something else entirely. In September 2012, Colbert Report host Stephen Colbert sat down with Oprah at his home for an episode of Oprah's Next Chapter. Here are the five things we learned about the late night host:

1. Colbert isn’t a lunatic moron pundit

We already knew this, of course. The real Colbert is friendly, warm and gracious - a model gentleman. The Stephen Colbert played by Stephen Colbert on his late night program is only a character - a send-up of bully pulpit pundits like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. The character is "shiny and new" like Anderson Cooper and "mission focused" like Geraldo Rivera. "And [Bill] O'Reilly is the biggest example," Colbert tells Oprah. "Because he's the king."More »

2. Even Colbert is surprised by how much political influence he has

Since the outset, Colbert's political jokes have been just that - jokes. But in recent years, his political satire has had an influence on real politics. "I don't know that I have influence," Colbert tells Oprah. "People say that I influence them, and if they say that, that's a legitimate thing for them to feel, then that's true. But that's not my intention. And I am completely surprised by it." When asked what his intention is, Colbert says, "My intention is to make jokes about things that I am interested in. … My point often is I should not be telling you what to think. But that's what a lot of nighttime pundrity is."More »

3. Colbert didn’t want to be a political comedian

When making the transition from The Daily Show hosted by Craig Kilborn to the The Daily Show hosted by Jon Stewart, Colbert discovered his passion for politics. Stewart told cast members to invest themselves in the show and bring their passion to the show. Colbert, a news junkie, worked very hard not bring his political opinion to the show. He felt most political jokes at the time were easy or flippant. But what he discovered was that he could bring some intellectual sweat to the work. "We're working really hard to tell jokes about ideas," he says.More »

4. Colbert didn’t grieve the death of his father and brothers for 8 years

The title doesn't quite explain it right. Colbert lost his father and two oldest brothers to a plane crash when he was 10. And though he felt the loss at that time, the true grieving process didn't strike him until he was in college, eight years later. "I went from 185 to 135 in those years," he says.More »

5. Colbert has never watched his infamous White House Correspondents’ Speech

Colbert infamously gave the White House Correspondents' Dinner speech in 2006, in character, at a time when George W. Bush was president. The speech was biting and surprised a lot of people, including the president. Colbert wasn't a household name at the time. "I suspect someone's children said, 'You have to invite him,'" says Colbert. After the dinner, in which President Bush did not seem amused, Colbert wrote him a letter to say that he hoped he enjoyed the dinner on some level. As for Colbert, who says he absolutely loved the experience, he's never watched it. "I couldn't bring myself to do it," he says.More »