Stephen Colbert's Success and Achievements in Timeline
A closer look at the biggest achievements of Stephen Colbert. Awards, milestones, and records that define success.
Stephen Colbert is a multifaceted American entertainer, known for his satirical wit and political commentary. He gained prominence as the host of The Colbert Report (2005-2014), where he portrayed a fictional conservative pundit. Since 2015, he has hosted The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, a more traditional late-night talk show, while still incorporating his signature comedic style and political insights. He is a writer, producer, and actor as well.
2000: Emmy Awards for The Daily Show Writing
In 2000, Stephen Colbert and the other Daily Show writers received three Emmy Awards as writers for The Daily Show.
2004: Daily Show Coverage of US Presidential Election
In 2004, Colbert reported from the floor of the Democratic National Convention and the Republican National Convention as a part of The Daily Show's award-winning coverage of the U.S. presidential elections.
2005: Emmy Win for The Daily Show
In 2005, Colbert won an Emmy as a writer of The Daily Show.
2005: Additional Emmy Awards and Satellite Award Nomination
In 2005, Stephen Colbert received additional Emmy Awards as writers for The Daily Show. He was also nominated for a Satellite Award for his performance on The Colbert Report.
January 2006: American Dialect Society's Word of the Year
In January 2006, the American Dialect Society named truthiness, a word Colbert coined, as its 2005 Word of the Year.
May 2006: One of New York's most influential people in media
In May 2006, New York magazine listed Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart as one of its top dozen influential persons in media.
June 2006: Honorary Doctorate from Knox College
In June 2006, Stephen Colbert received an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts degree from Knox College after speaking at the school's commencement ceremony.
September 2006: 2nd Sexiest TV News Anchor
In September 2006, Colbert was named the 2nd Sexiest TV News Anchor by Maxim.
October 30, 2006: Custody Agreement for Emmy Award
On The Colbert Report episode aired on October 30, 2006, Barry Manilow and Stephen Colbert jokingly signed and notarized a revolving biannual custody agreement for an Emmy.
November 2006: "Sexy Surprise" by People
In November 2006, Stephen Colbert was named a "sexy surprise" by People in the Sexiest Man Alive honors.
December 9, 2006: Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year
On December 9, 2006, Merriam-Webster announced that it selected "truthiness" as its Word of the Year for 2006, with the word winning by a five-to-one margin in an online poll.
December 2006: GQ's "Men of the Year"
In the December 2006 issue of GQ, Stephen Colbert was named one of GQ's "Men of the Year".
2006: Emmy Win for The Daily Show
In 2006, Colbert won an Emmy as a writer of The Daily Show.
2006: Time's 100 Most Influential People
In 2006, Stephen Colbert was named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People.
2006: Reaction to Colbert's White House Correspondents' Dinner Performance
In 2006, Stephen Colbert's performance at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner received a mixed initial response, with some media outlets paying little attention to it. However, the video of the performance became an internet sensation, and ratings for The Colbert Report increased.
February 2007: Stephen Colbert's AmeriCone Dream
In February 2007, Ben & Jerry's unveiled a new ice cream flavor in honor of Stephen Colbert, named Stephen Colbert's AmeriCone Dream.
March 3, 2007: Person of the Year by the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival
On March 3, 2007, Colbert was named Person of the Year by the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado.
March 20, 2007: Stephen Colbert Day in Oshawa
On March 20, 2007, Oshawa Mayor John Gray declared March 20, 2007 (the mayor's own birthday), Stephen Colbert Day, honoring a previous bet with Stephen Colbert.
March 24, 2007: Speaker of the Year Award by The Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA)
On March 24, 2007, Stephen Colbert was given the Speaker of the Year Award by The Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA) for his drive to expose the rhetorical shortcomings of contemporary political discourse.
June 13, 2007: Spike TV Guys' Choice Awards
On June 13, 2007, Colbert was honored for the Gutsiest Move on the Spike TV Guys' Choice Awards for his performance at the 2006 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner.
August 2007: "Air Colbert" named by Virgin America
In August 2007, Virgin America named an airplane, "Air Colbert", in Stephen Colbert's honor.
December 20, 2007: Celebrity of the Year
On December 20, 2007, Stephen Colbert was named Celebrity of the Year by The Associated Press.
2007: Emmy Loss to Tony Bennett
In 2007, Stephen Colbert lost an Emmy award in the Best Performance in a Variety, Musical Program or Special category to Tony Bennett.
2007: I Am America (And So Can You!) listed No. 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list
In 2007, Stephen Colbert's book, I Am America (And So Can You!) was listed No. 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list.
2007: Peabody Award
Stephen Colbert received a Peabody Award in 2007 for The Colbert Report.
April 2, 2008: Peabody Award
On April 2, 2008, Stephen Colbert received a Peabody Award for The Colbert Report.
June 2, 2008: Class Day address to Princeton University
On June 2, 2008, Colbert delivered the Class Day address to the graduating class of Princeton University and accepted the Class of 2008 Understandable Vanity Award.
2008: Emmy Loss to Don Rickles
In 2008, Stephen Colbert lost in the same Emmy category to Don Rickles.
April 14, 2009: COLBERT treadmill named
On April 14, 2009, NASA renamed the T-2 treadmill the "Combined Operational Load-Bearing External Resistance Treadmill", or COLBERT, after Stephen Colbert.
January 2010: Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album
In January 2010, Colbert received the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album for his album A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!.
2011: Vanity Fair's "New Establishment List"
In 2011, Colbert was placed at number 28 in Vanity Fair's "New Establishment List".
2011: Commencement speaker for Northwestern University
In 2011, Colbert was the commencement speaker for Northwestern University and received an honorary degree.
2012: Named One of Time's 100 Most Influential People
In 2012, Stephen Colbert was again named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People.
2012: Maxim Magazine's Hot 100
In 2012, Stephen Colbert was listed as No. 69 on Maxim Magazine's Hot 100, becoming the first man to be included on the list.
January 2013: Rolling Stone's Funniest People
In January 2013, Rolling Stone named Stephen Colbert number 2 in their "The 50 Funniest People Now" list.
December 2014: Paste's Best Twitter Accounts
In December 2014, Paste named Stephen Colbert's Twitter one of "The 75 Best Twitter Accounts of 2014" ranking it at number 7.
2015: Honorary degree from Wake Forest University
In 2015, Colbert received an honorary degree from Wake Forest University as the 2015 commencement speaker.
2015: Outstanding Civilian Service Award
In 2015, Colbert was awarded the third highest honor within the Department of the Army Civilian Awards, the Outstanding Civilian Service Award, for substantial contributions to the U.S. Army community.
December 2017: GQ's "Men of the Year"
In December 2017, Stephen Colbert was chosen as one of GQ's "Men of the Year".
2017: Hosts the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards
In 2017, Stephen Colbert hosted the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards.
2018: Vanity Fair's "New Establishment List"
In 2018, Colbert was placed at number 32 in Vanity Fair's "2018 New Establishment List".
May 2021: Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Yale University
In May 2021, Colbert received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Yale University.
December 11, 2023: Colbert Returns to The Late Show
Stephen Colbert returned on December 11, 2023, after recovering from a ruptured appendix.
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