Stephen Colbert and "Stephen Colbert" Say Goodbye to Bill O'Reilly

On Wednesday's 'Late Show,' Stephen Colbert's conservative alter ego returns to say goodbye to his biggest inspiration.

April 20, 2017

When the news came down Wednesday that Fox News had finally fired Bill O'Reilly over repeated sexual harassment allegations, many wondered how the TV pundit's fans would reaction—in particular, his biggest fan, "Stephen Colbert." That is, not the guy who currently hosts The Late Show, but the conservative blowhard character he used to play on The Colbert Report—a character based in no small part on O'Reilly.

Well Stephen Colbert (the real one) brought "Stephen Colbert" (the character) back to The Late Show on Wednesday night to share his feelings on his idol's demise. But first, Colbert gave shared his real feelings on O'Reilly's canning.

"I take no pleasure in his downfall," Colbert said. "I'm not going to sit here and publicly gloat." He then directed the camera away from him and proceeded to un-publicly gloat in front of his cheering studio audience.

The jokes about O'Reilly's many, many harassment allegations were fast and furious. "We all saw this [firing] coming at us," the host said, "Like an old man cornering an intern in the break room."

He also commented on Fox's official statement. "They celebrated O'Reilly's career," Colbert explained, "saying, 'By ratings standards, Bill O'Reilly is one of the most accomplished TV personalities in the history of cable news.' By ratings standards, he is. By moral standards, he was a self-righteous landfill of angry garbage."

But "Stephen Colbert" had a different take, which you can see above. "You didn't deserve this great man. All he ever did was have your back," said "Colbert." "And if you're a woman, you know, have a go at the front, too." "Colbert" was outraged at O'Reilly's treatment. "Suddenly sexual harassment's a crime? That's the country we live in now—Obama's Trump's America."

"Colbert" ended with a plea for O'Reilly to join him and Jon Stewart in retirement in their "mountain cabin." "Jon and I milk the goats," he said. "And soon, I hope, we'll be milking you."