Watch Stephen Colbert bid farewell to The Daily Show, as only Colbert can

This is what we are learning about Stephen Colbert's departure from The Colbert Report, the show he has hosted for nine years: It will be a long farewell, and the character Stephen Colbert is already being written out of the script for the real Colbert's next act, hosting CBS Late Night.

On Wednesday night's Daily Show — the vehicle that shot Colbert to fame — character Stephen came to announce to Jon Stewart that he is ending his show, because he's already "won television" and now he's "just running up the score." Everybody has trouble keeping a straight face as Colbert talks about the "fat guy" who beat him out for the Letterman gig and his plans to ride the rails with a pet mouse and one-eyed prostitute. Colbert even brought his own Daily Show highlight reel. Watch below. --Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.