“So numerous things that you fought for are now in the Democratic party platform – fifteen-dollar minimum wage, overturning Citizens United, claiming your Hacky Sack as a dependent”. Until 2005, when CBS split from Viacom, the two networks were corporate cousins.
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A multi-talented and respected host, writer, producer, satirist and comedian, Colbert is well-known for his previous late night show, “The Colbert Report”, which concluded on Friday, Dec. 18, 2014.
“Hello, America!” he hollered, sounding exactly like “Stephen Colbert”.
Colbert announced on The Late Show that immediately after the live show on July 18, 2016, Viacom’s lawyers called up CBS and said that “the character Stephen Colbert is their intellectual property”. “What can I do?” “The lawyers have spoken. I can not reasonably argue I own my face or name”, he said.
We did say “appeared to acquiesce”, right?
Last week, during the Republican National Convention, the conservative pundit character made his first public appearance since saying goodbye to the world on the finale of The Colbert Report more than a year ago. This is where things get confusing, so I’ll let Colbert explain.
However, in true Colbert fashion, he followed up by introducing “Stephen Colbert’s cousin” who he described as “totally different” from the host of The Colbert Report.
Unfortunately, Colbert told his viewers last night that the bit had prompted Comedy Central lawyers to contact CBS and claim the character as their intellectual property, meaning Colbert can not call him back again.
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CBS said representatives from CBS and Comedy Central declined comment on Thursday.
