4 ms·

I think Steven Colbert hosted a show using himself as the host. I’m not sure about the tax implications though.

technothrasher 2y ago
I'm pretty sure that was Chuck Noblet pretending to be Steven Colbert.
DFHippie 2y ago
If there were any tax implications, they were incidental. The show was parody, so the opinions he espoused in character were necessarily ones he didn't actually hold.
gwbas1c 2y ago
And then when he tried using the "Steven Colbert" character on a different show, Comedy Central threatened him because Steven Colbert does not have rights to the "Steven Colbert" character.
- bloomingkales 2y ago
  That doesn’t seem like that should be possible. He sold his identity for life? Hollywood really does ask for your soul huh. It would make sense why he’s never even jokingly gone back into that character on his new show.
  - treis 2y ago
    It's not his identity, though. It's a character that he plays.
    - deleted 2y ago
      [deleted]
    - mrkstu 2y ago
      Yep- if Pee-wee Herman’s character were instead named after the actor, Paul Reubens, that character could still be licensed/sold. Paul Ruebens could still do interviews, and take jobs under that name, without permission, but he’d better not show up in the Pee-wee outfit.
  - ipaddr 2y ago
    And others can take your identity. If you happen to have the name Michael Jordan try putting out your own running shoes under your name.
- kjs3 2y ago
  Al Shugart started Shugart Associates and pretty much created the 5 1/4" floppy market. He sold to Xerox. He later started Shugart Technology and was promptly threatened with a lawsuit because he literally had sold his rights to his own name (in the particular context). He changed the name to Seagate Technology and the rest is history. Yes, you can be enjoined from using your own name.
  - gwbas1c 2y ago
    > Yes, you can be enjoined from using your own name. This is not that case. In popular media when "The Colbert Report" was broadcast, Steven Colbert was very open about the fact that he was playing a character on TV who happened to have the same name as him. In the case of "The Tonight Show featuring Steven Colbert," he is not playing the character from the Colbert Report. The very specific bit was from after the 2017 election when Trump was elected. Steven Colbert did a bit, in character as "Steven Colbert", with props from "The Colbert Report", and a guest appearance from Jon Stewart. (Because the main focus of "The Colbert Report" was to mock conservatives.) Otherwise, everything Steven Colbert (the person) does on "The Tonight Show featuring Steven Colbert" does not involve the "Steven Colbert" character from "The Colbert Report."
    - jonhohle 2y ago
      Prior to the Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert was a character on the Daily Show, also a CC property. Craig Kilborn was able to leave the Daily Show and take bits like 5 questions with him. However, CC was a much smaller network at the time.
    - Spoom 2y ago
      To be fair, in Steven Colbert's case, he definitely was playing a character on The Colbert Report. A ridiculously conservative one that asked guests repeatedly if George W. Bush was a great president, or the greatest president. It was very over the top.
    - ipaddr 2y ago
      And that's when he stopped being funny. As a big fan I was confused by how unfunny his tonight show content was from day one compared to everything we saw upto that point. I can see why legal action when nowhere it's not the same product. Using the same name does cause confusion in the marketplace.

I'm pretty sure that was Chuck Noblet pretending to be Steven Colbert.

If there were any tax implications, they were incidental. The show was parody, so the opinions he espoused in character were necessarily ones he didn't actually hold.

gwbas1c 2y ago

And then when he tried using the "Steven Colbert" character on a different show, Comedy Central threatened him because Steven Colbert does not have rights to the "Steven Colbert" character.

bloomingkales 2y ago
That doesn’t seem like that should be possible. He sold his identity for life? Hollywood really does ask for your soul huh. It would make sense why he’s never even jokingly gone back into that character on his new show.
- treis 2y ago
  It's not his identity, though. It's a character that he plays.
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
  - mrkstu 2y ago
    Yep- if Pee-wee Herman’s character were instead named after the actor, Paul Reubens, that character could still be licensed/sold. Paul Ruebens could still do interviews, and take jobs under that name, without permission, but he’d better not show up in the Pee-wee outfit.
- ipaddr 2y ago
  And others can take your identity. If you happen to have the name Michael Jordan try putting out your own running shoes under your name.
kjs3 2y ago
Al Shugart started Shugart Associates and pretty much created the 5 1/4" floppy market. He sold to Xerox. He later started Shugart Technology and was promptly threatened with a lawsuit because he literally had sold his rights to his own name (in the particular context). He changed the name to Seagate Technology and the rest is history. Yes, you can be enjoined from using your own name.
- gwbas1c 2y ago
  > Yes, you can be enjoined from using your own name. This is not that case. In popular media when "The Colbert Report" was broadcast, Steven Colbert was very open about the fact that he was playing a character on TV who happened to have the same name as him. In the case of "The Tonight Show featuring Steven Colbert," he is not playing the character from the Colbert Report. The very specific bit was from after the 2017 election when Trump was elected. Steven Colbert did a bit, in character as "Steven Colbert", with props from "The Colbert Report", and a guest appearance from Jon Stewart. (Because the main focus of "The Colbert Report" was to mock conservatives.) Otherwise, everything Steven Colbert (the person) does on "The Tonight Show featuring Steven Colbert" does not involve the "Steven Colbert" character from "The Colbert Report."
  - jonhohle 2y ago
    Prior to the Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert was a character on the Daily Show, also a CC property. Craig Kilborn was able to leave the Daily Show and take bits like 5 questions with him. However, CC was a much smaller network at the time.
  - Spoom 2y ago
    To be fair, in Steven Colbert's case, he definitely was playing a character on The Colbert Report. A ridiculously conservative one that asked guests repeatedly if George W. Bush was a great president, or the greatest president. It was very over the top.
  - ipaddr 2y ago
    And that's when he stopped being funny. As a big fan I was confused by how unfunny his tonight show content was from day one compared to everything we saw upto that point. I can see why legal action when nowhere it's not the same product. Using the same name does cause confusion in the marketplace.