Stephen Colbert's New Show Is A Surprise

Many videos have appeared on the Internet recently that are aimed toward fans going through major Stephen Colbert/The Colbert Report withdrawal during this time before Colbert's new gig on The Late Show premieres in September. More important than this, however, is the fact that Colbert's Internet ventures also serve to introduce us to the real Stephen Colbert, rather than the "Stephen Colbert" character we've all seen on The Daily Show and The Colbert Report — and no clip has done that better than the comedian's latest. In a surprise move, Colbert hosted a public access show in Monroe, Michigan — for a full, beautiful 41 minutes — to show his true self not in the context of political stories, but good ol' human interest news.

During his Only in Monroe hosting gig, Colbert presented himself as, well, himself: He was friendly with his guests instead of trying to confront them with "gotcha!" questions for comedy as he did in-character on The Colbert Report. For instance, when interviewing former Miss America Kaye Lani Rafko-Wilson, he let her lead the conversation. On The Colbert Report, "Colbert" always dominated the conversations in-character — so to see this side of Colbert is a treat.

If you're worried about completely losing the Colbert you knew and loved from The Colbert Report, though, don't worry — he's not completely gone, and that's is apparent in his interview with Marshall Mathers, aka, Eminem. Yes, Eminem shows up 22 minutes in (at 22:09 to be exact!), and the comedy comes from Colbert pretending he has absolutely no idea who he is. Colbert asks Eminem if music is just a hobby and if he has a plan to support his family after retirement. This ironic ignorance is reminiscent of The Colbert Report's "Better Know a District" segment, which showed "Colbert" asking Congressmen uncomfortable questions in-character.

With The Late Show, we'll likely get to see Colbert reveal his true thoughts on political and social issues. Even though he successfully commented upon progressive issues by highlighting the oft-ridiculous conservative stances, with his new show, Colbert seems to be preparing to cut the middleman that was his character and enter a more direct relationship with his audience. The most powerful indication of the "Real Colbert" development was his video blasting the SCOTUS judges who dissented marriage equality. "Stephen Colbert" the character would have made fun of them by embodying their point-of-view and then heightening it to ridiculous proportions, but the real Colbert straight-up calls them out — and he even included a hilarious Scalia impression too

Here is the real Colbert on Only in Monroe — vulnerable, adorable, liberal, and ready to be the king of late night once again. Get excited for The Late Show, everyone:

Image: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert/YouTube (1)