Stephen Colbert Gives Middle Finger to "Corporate Lawyers" for Banning 'Colbert Report' Character

Stephen Colbert gave a middle finger to corporate lawyers pissed about him bringing back classic 'Colbert Report' character.

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Image via Complex Original
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Stephen Colbert is on another level right now. Just moments after telling an audience member that he'd like to ask Trump about the taste of a certain body part belonging to Putin, the Late Show host went full meta and full fuck-it at the same time. Referencing his decision last week to resurrect the other Stephen Colbert to properly mock the Republican National Convention, Colbert revealed that a few lawyers were less than thrilled by the revival. Then he promptly gave them the middle finger.

"One moment that I really enjoyed last week was the return of Stephen Colbert, the host of The Colbert Report," Colbert told the audience Thursday. "Glad you liked it. Glad you enjoyed it. You know who didn't enjoy it so much? Corporate lawyers. Because, and this is true, immediately after that show CBS's top lawyer was contacted by the top lawyer from another company to say that the character 'Stephen Colbert' is their intellectual property." Colbert said he was particularly shocked by this move, given that the character was never considered "much of an intellectual."

Colbert, armed with a heavy heart, then broke the news. "Thanks to corporate lawyers, the character of 'Stephen Colbert,' host of The Colbert Report, will never be seen again," he said to a crowd of boos. "Instead, joining me now live via satellite from Philadelphia, please welcome Stephen Colbert's identical twin cousin, Stephen Colbert." And goddamn do they look a lot alike:

Colbert's impeccably dressed twin cousin will apparently be a "permanent part" of the Late Show crew now, meaning Viacom's legal team is either toiling away in anguish or commending a well-crafted publicity stunt. To ensure the nation received the message of rebellion loud and clear, Colbert even introduced a brand new Late Show segment called "The Werd." For the uninitiated, that's (obviously) a direct reference to the classic Colbert Report segment "The Word."

Cool identical twin cousin you got there, Stephen. Let's see more of him in the future.

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