New York; October 16, 2006:
Colbert in person is one of those rare comedians who like to dissect comedy, especially his own comedy, and especially what makes his own comedy funny. This is owed in part to the nature of his show—he plays an abrasive character who is, on the surface, designed to be repellent but is actually meant to entertain—which means he’s spent a lot of time thinking about how exactly to pull off this trick. When he was developing the idea with Karlin and Stewart, he said to them, “I can’t be an asshole.†And Stewart said, “You’re not an asshole. You’re an idiot. There’s a difference.†For starters, being an idiot gives him a certain license. “The audience wouldn’t forgive Jon for saying things most comedians would want to say. But we can say almost anything, because it’s coming out of the mouth of this character.â€
Cyrus Farivar is an Iranian-American freelance technology journalist, radio producer and author, currently living in the city of Bonn, Germany.
His book, "The Internet of Elsewhere" – about the history and effects of the Internet on different countries around the world, including Senegal, Iran, Estonia and South Korea – was published by Rutgers University Press in April 2011. 
Yes! I’m getting most of my news from you, Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart these days.