"I'm Apollo," Colbert explained later. "Our producer has this sort of Dionysian thought process. He throws out ideas like globs of paint. I have a really structured mind, so the editor gets me to format the ideas in a logical way."

Colbert, who has written for several comedy series, drafted two movie scripts, and is now working on a book for Hyperion Publishing, is quick to credit Hampden-Sydney's rhetoric program for his writing skills. "I learned scene structure and dramatic structure from years of working in improvisational theatre," he said. "But you also have to express these things in an ordered way. My rhetoric teacher, Professor Crawley, ordered my mind. Simplicity of language, supporting ideas, synthesizing an effective conclusion-that's what I learned from him. And that's really important to me when I'm developing characters and themes."

In his five years there, Colbert has seen The Daily Show go from light farce to edgy social and political satire. A parody of a serious TV news-magazine program, the show takes as its target contemporary news media and their "insatiable desire for drama rather than information," Colbert said.

In 2000, The Daily Show drew national attention for its coverage of the presidential race. In the months surrounding the election, the comedy series became an influential voice amidst the clamorous landscape of campaign media coverage-a phenomenon emblematic not only of that year's theatrical politics but also of the social value of the show's lampooning. Cited for its "inspired, irreverent satire," The Daily Show won the prestigious and traditionally somber Peabody Award for Broadcasting Excellence. They also won an EMMY for their coverage of Gore's concession speech. "We had 30 days to pack our muskets with 'resolution jokes,'" Colbert said. "Of course it was good."

Colbert's on-camera personality is a parody of a serious TV news-magazine host. "I'm a big fan of Stone Phillips," he said. "But not so much since he cut his hair. It just doesn't go as well with his comforting head wag." As senior correspondent, Colbert covers everything from health ("Is Cookie Monster to Blame for Child Obesity?") to the economy ("Dollars and 'Cents'") and takes the host chair when Stewart is away. Born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina, Colbert was admittedly an uninterested high school student. President Josiah Bunting III decided to give him a chance, but Colbert quickly realized that getting into Hampden-Sydney College would be easier than staying.

"The professors ride you like the family mule," he said. "There were no softballs." Colbert found to his surprise that he enjoyed being challenged, and he buckled down for the first time. Almost immediately he took an interest in theatre. As a sophomore he was cast as Jonathan in Professor Stephen Coy's production of Oh, Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You In the Closet and I'm Feeling so Sad and performed in several plays in Prince Edward County. Spending long hours and late nights working on productions didn't seem like work, and for the first time he found something that completely absorbed him.

In 1984 he decided to transfer to Northwestern University so he could major in theatre. "Hampden-Sydney College was great for me," he said. "It gave me a sense of what I wanted to do in my life." While at Northwestern he studied under storied actor and dramatist Del Close, who honed Colbert's improvisational skills.

Stephen Colbert '86 (fourth from left) with Jon Stewart and The Daily Show news team.

He was working at the box office of the famed Second City comedy troupe when he was offered an audition. Colbert got his break and was soon working with burgeoning comedians like Chris Farley, Mike Myers, and Tim Meadows. It was there that he also befriended Amy Sedaris and Paul Dinello. The trio eventually moved to New York City and developed Exit 57, a half-hour sketch comedy series for HBO that ran for two seasons. The series received five CableACE nominations for best writing, performing, and comedy series. After that Colbert wrote for and performed on the short-lived Dana Carvey Show before moving to The Daily Show, then hosted by Craig Kilborn.

In 1998 Colbert took two years off from The Daily Show to team up with old Second City pals Amy Sedaris and Paul Dinello to create Strangers with Candy. The show, a warped parody of the moralistic after-school drama, featuring Colbert as history teacher Chuck Noblet, lasted for three seasons and garnered a cult-like following among viewers.

Recently, Colbert has appeared on Whose Line is it Anyway? and Spin City. He is the voice of Rob on Comedy Central's new show Crank Yankers and of Ace on Saturday Night Live's cartoon "The Ambiguously Gay Duo," which he co-writes with Robert Smigel. His movie work includes the role of Happy Successful Guy in Let it Snow and several other short films for Shock Productions.

Although Colbert considers himself a "performer who writes," he currently spends about half his time drafting material. In addition to writing for The Daily Show, Colbert is working on a comedic novel entitled Wigfield. The book, a collection of fictional interviews inspired by his fieldwork for The Daily Show, appeared in 2003. Also, Colbert and Dinello have recently completed a script that has not been filmed. "If any of the alumni have $3 million to invest," he said, "I'll cut them a real sweet deal."

Colbert is working on three projects, and, with a wife and kids, he has found himself turning down jobs. "I have to see my family," says Colbert, who visits them in Charleston every weekend in the summer and then at their home in New Jersey the rest of the year. "But it still chills my blood to say 'no.' In this business, you never know when you'll be unemployed."

The increasing visibility of The Daily Show has made Colbert a full-fledged celebrity. But with a tone of self-effacement, he quickly casts off that claim. For him, the only value in fame is that it increases the possibility of future job opportunities. And with young children, he is especially sensitive to the pitfallsof stardom. "Being famous is impressive to a child," Colbert said, explaining why he doesn't like to be recognized in public when his kids are around. "But what is that saying? It sends a bad message about popularity and self-worth."

Just as Colbert defies the stereotypically narcissistic show business personality, he also defies the image of the bitter satirist. "People think that all satirists are cynical, that they assume all people are inherently self-serving. But it's not the people that are the butt of it all. It's hypocrisy, the paradoxical bind people find themselves in to support a lie. I certainly don't think people are bad," he explained. "In fact, I love people-I think they're hilarious."