The Daily Show creators recount stealing Stephen Colbert from Good Morning America


On its 25th anniversary, The Daily Show's creators are looking back on how Stephen Colbert made the jump from real news to fake news.
The iconic Comedy Central series celebrates its 25th anniversary Thursday, and creators Madeleine Smithberg and Lizz Winstead delved into its origins in an interview with The New York Times. Among the details they discussed was hiring Colbert as a correspondent based on seeing his subtly funny work on Good Morning America.
"I saw Colbert doing pieces on Good Morning America as a correspondent, and I was like, 'He is saying some things that nobody is catching that are really funny, and it feels like he is playing a correspondent," Winstead said. "He should be on The Daily Show. I went to Madeleine and I said, 'I don't know that GMA understands how funny he is, and we should steal him."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Colbert's GMA stint was brief, but a segment from 1997 featuring him reporting on a Rube Goldberg machine competition is available on YouTube. According to The Hollywood Reporter, this was the only one of Colbert's segments to ever make it to air. He would go on to be such a hit on The Daily Show that he'd get his own spinoff, The Colbert Report, which eventually led him to his current gig on The Late Show. Of course, Colbert was far from the only comedian to become a major star thanks to The Daily Show.
"After four or five months, I called back Mike August at William Morris, and I go, 'Do you have another one like Stephen Colbert?'" Smithberg recalled to the Times. "And he goes, 'As a matter of fact, I do: It's his best friend and writing partner Steve Carell.' So I go, 'OK, when can he start?'" And the rest, as they say, is history.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Scientists want to fight malaria by poisoning mosquitoes with human blood
Under the radar Drugging the bugs
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: March 31, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sudoku medium: March 31, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamation
Speed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' ignite holiday box office
Speed Read The combination of the two movies revitalized a struggling box office
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published