The Colbert Report: Season 2
Season 2 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Directly follows the overarching narrative developments of The Colbert Report Season 1.
- Faction dynamics and core character alliances shift under escalating external stakes.
- Crucial mysteries introduced previously reach key turning points and narrative reckonings.
- Sets up serialized story arcs that build directly toward the climactic season finale.
Episode Guide
Season 2 Progress Shield
Ken Miller
Jan 12, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes Professor of Biology at Brown University, Ken Miller!
George Stephanopoulos
Jan 16, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes the host of "This Week", George Stephanopoulos!
Andrew Sullivan
Jan 17, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes author and blogger, Andrew Sullivan!
Frank McCourt
Jan 18, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes the author of "Teacher Man: A Memoir", Frank McCourt!
Nina Totenberg
Jan 19, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes National Public Radio's legal affairs correspondent, Nina Totenberg!
Robin Givhan
Jan 24, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes "Washington Post" fashion editor, Robin Givhan!
Norah Vincent
Jan 25, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes the author of "Self-Made Man: One Woman's Journey into Manhood and Back" Norah Vincent!
Paul Begala
Jan 26, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes CNN commentator and the co-author of "Take It Back: Our Party, Our Country, Our Future", Paul Begala!
Dave Marash
Jan 31, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes the author of "Manliness", Harvey Mansfield!
Emily Yoffe
Feb 1, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes the author of "What the Dog Did: Tales from a Formerly Reluctant Dog Owner", Emily Yoffe!
Christine Todd Whitman
Feb 2, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes the author of "It's My Party, Too: The Battle for the Heart of the GOP and the Future of America", Christine Todd Whitman!
Sen. Barbara Boxer
Feb 6, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes California Senator Barbara Boxer!
James Woolsey
Feb 7, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes former CIA Director James Woolsey!
Alan Dershowitz
Feb 8, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes the author of "The Case for Peace: How the Arab-Israeli Conflict Can be Resolved", Alan Dershowitz!
George Packer
Feb 9, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes the author of "The Assassins' Gate: America in Iraq", George Packer!
Lama Surya Das
Feb 21, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes the author of Natural Radiance: Awakening to Your Great Perfection, Lama Surya Das!
Michael Eric Dyson
Feb 22, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes the author of Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina And the Color of Disaster, Michael Eric Dyson!
David Brooks
Feb 23, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes the editor of The Weekly Standard, Bill Kristol!
Tony Campolo
Feb 27, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes the author of Adventures in Missing the Point: How the Culture-Controlled Church Neutered the Gospel, Tony Campolo!
Brett O'Donnell
Feb 28, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes the director of debate at King's College, Brett O'Donnell!
Arianna Huffington
Mar 1, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes author and internet blogger, Arianna Huffington!
Jeffrey Sachs
Mar 2, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes the author of The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time, Jeffrey Sachs!
Bob Schieffer
Mar 6, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes the author of The Shere Hite Reader, Shere Hite!
Norman Ornstein
Mar 7, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes the author of The Broken Branch: How Congress Is Failing America and How to Get It Back on Track, Norman Ornstein!
James Webb
Mar 8, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes the author of Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped America, James Webb!
Christopher Buckley
Mar 13, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes the author of Thank You for Smoking : A Novel, Christopher Buckley!
Keith Olbermann
Mar 14, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes the host of Countdown with Keith Olbermann, Keith Olbermann!
Al Franken
Mar 15, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes the host of The Al Franken Show, Al Franken!
Frank Vincent
Mar 16, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes the author of A Guy's Guide to Being a Man's Man, Frank Vincent!
Steve Kroft
Mar 21, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes 60 Minutes correspondent, Steve Kroft!
Dan Senor
Mar 22, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes Advisor to the U.S. Presidential Envoy in Iraq, Dan Senor!
John Kasich
Mar 23, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes Steven Johnson, author of Everything Bad Is Good For You.
Sen. Gary Hart
Mar 27, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes environmental politician, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Michael Brown
Mar 28, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes mammologist and paleontologist Tim Flannery, author of The Weather Makers.
Bruce Bartlett
Mar 29, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes the author of Impostor: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy, Bruce Bartlett!
Robert Greenwald
Mar 30, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes the producer of Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price, Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism, and most recently, The Big Buy: How Tom Delay
Michael Smerconish
Apr 3, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes ocweekly.com's Ask a Mexican columnist Gustavo Arellano.
Rev. Jesse Jackson
Apr 4, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes Bart Ehrman, author of Misquoting Jesus.
Harvey Mansfield
Apr 5, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes Angela "Bay" Buchanan, President of The American Cause.
Markos Moulitsas
Apr 6, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes the author of The Great Deluge, Douglas Brinkley.
Reza Aslan
Apr 17, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes the author of No god But God, Reza Aslan!
Anthony Romero
Apr 18, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes the host of Hardball, Chris Matthews.
Caitlin Flanagan
Apr 19, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes the author of To Hell With All That: Loving and Loathing Our Inner Housewife, Caitlin Flanagan!
Ralph Nader
Apr 20, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes journalist Christpher Noxon, author of Rejuvenile.
Hugh Hewitt
Apr 24, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes the author of Painting the Map Red: The Fight to Create a Permanent Republican Majority, Hugh Hewitt!
Sebastian Junger
Apr 26, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes editor in chief for U.S. News World Report, Mort Zuckerman.
Bill Kristol
Apr 27, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes the editor of The Weekly Standard, Bill Kristol!
Jon Meacham
May 1, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes the author of American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation, Jon Meacham!
Gov. Mike Huckabee
May 2, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes the author of Quit Digging Your Grave with a Knife and Fork: A 12-Stop Program to End Bad Habits and Begin a Healthy Lifestyle and the Governor of
Paul Rieckhoff
May 3, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes the author of Chasing Ghosts: A Soldier's Fight for America from Baghdad to Washington, Paul Rieckhoff!
Rick Reilly
May 4, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes the author of Shanks For Nothing, Rick Reilly!
Shere Hite
May 8, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes the author of The Shere Hite Reader, Shere Hite!
Frank Rich
May 9, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes editor of the New York Times, Frank Rich!
Bill Bastone
May 10, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes editor of The Smoking Gun.com, Bill Bastone!
Madeleine Albright
May 11, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes the former Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright!
Ned Lamont
May 15, 2006
Tonght, Democratic hopeful for Senate in Connecticut, Ned Lamont.
Tyson Slocum
May 16, 2006
Tonight former editor for the New Republic and author of The Good Fight: Why Liberals--And Only Liberals--Can Win the War On Terror and Make America Great Again, Peter Beinart.
Jonathan Alter
May 17, 2006
Tonight former attorney and professor of philisophy Linda R. Hirshman, author of Get to Work: A Manifesto for Women in the World.
Ted Daeschler
May 18, 2006
TONIGHT: Stephen Colbert welcomes the Assistant Curator and Chair, Vertebrate Zoology at the Center for Systematic Biology & Evolution, Ted Daeschler!
Christiane Amanpour
Jun 6, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes CNN's chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour.
Steven Squyres
Jun 7, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes Cornell University scientist and author of Roving Mars Steven Squyres.
Tim Flannery
Jun 13, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes mammologist and paleontologist Tim Flannery, author of The Weather Makers.
Michael Pollan
Jun 15, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes Geoffrey Nunberg, professor of linguistics and columnist for the New York Times and author of Talking Right: How Conservatives Turned Liberalsim into a Tax
Gustavo Arellano
Jun 19, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes ocweekly.com's Ask a Mexican columnist Gustavo Arellano.
Bart Ehrman
Jun 20, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes Bart Ehrman, author of Misquoting Jesus.
Bay Buchanan
Jun 21, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes Angela "Bay" Buchanan, President of The American Cause.
Marc Bowden
Jun 26, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes Marc Bowden, author of Guests of the Ayatollah: The First Battle in America's War With Militant Islam.
Chris Matthews
Jun 27, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes the host of Hardball, Chris Matthews.
Robert Baer
Jun 28, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes form CIA agents and author of Blow the House Down, Robert Baer.
Christopher Noxon
Jun 29, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes actor, performer, rapper, playwright and educator Will Power.
Amy Sedaris
Jul 10, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes Amy Sedaris, star of Strangers with Candy.
Ron Suskind
Jul 13, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes back Arianna Huffington, blogger and author of On Becoming Fearless...in Love, Work, and Life
Dhani Jones
Jul 18, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes Pulitzer Prize winning investigative journalist and the Reva and David Logan Distinguished Professor at UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism, Lowell
Joe Scarborough
Jul 19, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes the host of Scarborough Country, Joe Scarborough.
Tom Brokaw
Jul 20, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes former NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Brokaw.
Howell Raines
Jul 24, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes journalist and author of The One That Got Away: A Memoir, Howell Raines
William Donohue
Jul 25, 2006
Tonight Stephen Welcomes the president of the Catholic League, William Donohue.
Neal Katyal
Jul 26, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes Democracy Now! host and co-author of Static: Government Liars, Media Cheerleaders, and the People Who Fight Back, Amy Goodman.
Ned Lamont
Jul 31, 2006
Tonght, Democratic hopeful for Senate in Connecticut, Ned Lamont.
Peter Beinart
Aug 1, 2006
Tonight former editor for the New Republic and author of The Good Fight: Why Liberals--And Only Liberals--Can Win the War On Terror and Make America Great Again, Peter Beinart.
Linda Hirshman
Aug 2, 2006
Tonight former attorney and professor of philisophy Linda R. Hirshman, author of Get to Work: A Manifesto for Women in the World.
Paul Hackett III
Aug 3, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes lawyer and co-founder of the Innocence Project, Barry Scheck.
Bill Rhoden
Aug 8, 2006
Tonight, New York Times columnist and author of Forty Million Dollar Slaves: The Rise, Fall and Redemption of the Black Athlete, Bill Rhoden.
Alexandra Robbins
Aug 9, 2006
Tonight cultural anthropologist Alexandra Robbins, author of The Overachievers: The Secret Life of Driven Kids.
Ramesh Ponnuru
Aug 14, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes Ramesh Ponnuru, senior editor of the National Review and author of The Party of Death: The Democrats, the Media, the Courts and the Disregard for Human Lif
David Gergen
Aug 15, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes political commentator of PBS's NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and author of Eyewitness to Power: The Essence of Leadership Nixon to Clinton, David Gergen.
Morgan Spurlock
Aug 16, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes documentary filmmaker and host of 30 Days, Morgan Spurlock.
Geoffrey Nunberg
Aug 21, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes Geoffrey Nunberg, professor of linguistics and columnist for the New York Times and author of Talking Right: How Conservatives Turned Liberalsim into a Tax
Paul Krugman
Aug 22, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes economist and colmnist Paul Krugman, author of The Great Unraveling: Losing Our Way in the New Century.
Gideon Yago
Aug 23, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes writer and correspondent for MTV News, Gideon Yago
Janna Levin
Aug 24, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes mathematician Janna Levin, author of A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines.
Ken Jennings
Sep 13, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes record setting Jeopardy champion and author of Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competetive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs, Ken Jennings
Bill Simmons
Sep 14, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes ESPN's Sports Guy columnist and author of Now I Can Die In Peace: How ESPN's Sports Guy Found Salvation with a Little Help from Nomar, Pedro, Shawshank, an
Will Power
Sep 18, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes actor, performer, rapper, playwright and educator Will Power.
Frank Rich
Sep 19, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes New York Times columnist Frank Rich, author of The Greatest Story Ever Sold: The Decline and Fall of Truth from 9/11 to Katrina.
James Carville
Sep 20, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes Democratic political consultant James Carville.
Arianna Huffington
Sep 25, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes back Arianna Huffington, blogger and author of On Becoming Fearless...in Love, Work, and Life
Lowell Bergman
Sep 27, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes Pulitzer Prize winning investigative journalist and the Reva and David Logan Distinguished Professor at UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism, Lowell
Steve Wozniak
Sep 28, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes co-founder of Apple Computers, Steve Wozniak.
Michael Lewis
Oct 2, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes Michael Lewis, author of The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game.
Andy Stern
Oct 3, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes union leader and author of A Country That Works: Getting America Back on Track, Andy Stern.
Senator Byron Dorgan
Oct 4, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan, author of Take This Job and Ship It: How Corporate Greed And Brain-Dead Politics Are Selling Out America.
Amy Goodman
Oct 5, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes Democracy Now! host and co-author of Static: Government Liars, Media Cheerleaders, and the People Who Fight Back, Amy Goodman.
Ariel Levy
Oct 10, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes journalist and author of Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture, Ariel Levy.
George Lucas
Oct 11, 2006
Tonight Stephen reveals the winner of the Green Screen Challenge. Plus, another Tek Jansen Adventure.
Gov. Brian Schweitzer
Oct 12, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer
Barry Scheck
Oct 16, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes lawyer and co-founder of the Innocence Project, Barry Scheck.
Richard Dawkins
Oct 17, 2006
Tonight Stephen celebrates his 1st anniversary episode with Oxford Professor of Biology and author of The God Delusion Richard Dawkins.
David Kuo
Oct 18, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes former special assistant to President Bush and author of Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction, David Kuo.
Dr. Peter Agre
Oct 19, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes Nobel Prize winning chemist Dr. Peter Agre. Plus Stephen talks to Jim Gilchrist, founder of The Minuteman Project.
Tim Robbins
Oct 31, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes actor and politcal activist Tim Robbins.
Ronald Reagan Jr.
Nov 2, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes political activist Ronald Reagan Jr.
Mark Halperin
Nov 6, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcoms ABC News correspondent and co-author of The Way to Win: Taking the White House in 2008, Mark Halperin.
Indecision 2006 Election Coverage
Nov 7, 2006
Combined with the Daily Show for the night, Stephen talks to Warren Beatty by phone, Rep. Robert Wexler via satellite and Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton via satellite.
Dean Kamen
Nov 9, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes the founder of FIRST and President of DEKA Research and Development Corporation, Dean Kamen.
Al Franken/Dr. Michael Novacek
Nov 15, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes Al Franken and paleontologist Dr. Michael Novacek.
Richard Linklater
Nov 16, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes Richard Linklater, director of Fast Food Nation.
Jim Lehrer
Nov 27, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes PBS News Hour anchor and author of The Phony Marine: A Novel, Jim Lehrer.
Nora Ephron
Nov 29, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes screenwriter and author of I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman, Nora Ephron.
Mike Lupica
Nov 30, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes ESPN commentator and author of Miracle on 49th Street, Mike Lupica.
Steven D. Levitt
Dec 5, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes economist and co-author of Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything, Steven D. Levitt.
John Sexton
Dec 6, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes the president of New York University, John Sexton.
Dr. Francis S. Collins
Dec 7, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes the fromer head of the Human Genome Project and author of The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief, Francis Collins.
Dr. Peter Singer
Dec 11, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes Princeton ethicist, animal rights activist and co-author of The Way We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter, Dr. Peter Singer
Dan Savage
Dec 12, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes nationally syndicated columnist and author of The Commitment: Love, Sex, Marriage, and My Family, Dan Savage.
Doris Kearns Goodwin
Dec 13, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes historian and author of Team of Rivals, The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, Doris Kearns Goodwin.
Daniel Pinchbeck
Dec 14, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes a writer for the Village Voice and Rolling Stone and author of Breaking Open the Head: A Psychedelic Journey into the Heart of Contemporary Shamanism, Dani
Jack Welch
Dec 18, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes the retired CEO of General Electric, Jack Welch.
Deepak Chopra
Dec 19, 2006
Tonight Stephen welcomes the leader in the field of mind body medicine, Deepak Chopra.