Stephen Colbert takes his final bow on “The Colbert Report” tonight with the 1,477th episode of the Comedy Central show that made him a star.
Colbert made his debut as the bombastic conservative commentator on Oct. 17, 2005, after eight years as a correspondent and writer on Jon Stewart’s “The Daily Show.” Comedy Central will fill his slot with “The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore,” beginning Jan. 19.
“The Colbert Report” has grabbed an Emmy nom for best variety series every year since its debut. Colbert and Co. took home the trophy in 2013 and again this year, ending “The Daily Show’s” 10-year winning streak. Colbert is widely admired by other comedians for keeping the parody of cable news talk shows from growing stale even after nine years.
Next year, Colbert is moving up the dial to succeed David Letterman as host of CBS’ “The Late Show.” Here’s a by-the-numbers look at his tenure on “The Colbert Report.”
Watch below for the tele-news-revolutionary as he gets a star filled send-off just as you would expect him to…in song
