The ABCs of Stephen Colbert

One thing is certain about "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert." When the CBS late-night host debuts on Tuesday, viewers finally will meet the real Stephen.

Gone is the pomp, rabidly patriotic, fact-warping, right-wing cable news persona that the former Comedy Central star put forth during his lengthy run on Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report."

As he told writers at the Television Critics Association meeting this summer, he can't wait to be himself.

"On the old show I wore the character as lightly as a cap. I could dial it up and down as need be," he said. "I'm looking forward to being sincerely interested in what (guests) have to say without having to translate it through an idiot's mouth."

Who is this man taking over for David Letterman? And why are so many fans counting on him to add biting political humor and incisive conversation to the frat-boy snark, game-show glee and viral mania of the Jimmy-Jimmy-James world of wee-hours TV talk (as defined by ABC's Kimmel, NBC's Fallon and CBS's Corden, respectively).

Someone this culturally significant needs more than a short bio. By way of introduction to a true cultural force, here are the essentials on Colbert, from A to Z.

A: Colbert gravitates to comedy that's ahead of the curve, even when it's goofy. Starting in 1996, he and Steve Carell, old Second City improv pals who later became "Daily Show" correspondents, provided the voices for the most famous animated series of "Saturday Night Live." As Ace and Gary on the "Ambiguously Gay Duo," they brought to life a superhero team that constantly left villains distracted because of questions about their sexual preference. Like the theme song says, "They're extremely close in an ambiguous way."

B: The viewpoint of his "Colbert Report" character was preserved in print with his 2007 best-selling book "I Am America (And So Can You!)." A testament to his parody of conservative cable demagoguery, it espoused thoughts like this one from the intro: "Lady Liberty is under attack from the cable channels, the internet blogs, and the Hollywood celebritocracy, out there spewing 'facts' like so many locusts descending on America's crop of ripe, tender values."

C: Contrary to others in his family, Colbert uses the French pronunciation of his last name, or "Cole-bare," instead of "Cole-bert." As he once explained to Charlie Rose, he made the decision to change it when he was traveling to Northwestern University as a new transfer student, after sitting next to an astronaut on a flight. "He goes, 'Well, I think you know.' " And thus began the name change that, decades later, also would inspire the "re-pore" pronunciation of "Colbert Report."

D: His tenure with "The Daily Show" began in 1997, back when Craig Kilborn was still in the fake news anchor chair. Once Jon Stewart took over in 1999, the show became more political and Colbert's work as a cluelessly confident correspondent flourished. Recently, he shared memories with Entertainment Weekly of covering the press conference for Stewart's hiring. "I stood up and said, 'Stephen Colbert, "The Daily Show." In what way does this announcement affect my chances of becoming host of "The Daily Show?" Jon Stewart turned to the president of the network and said, 'You told me he wasn't funny.' "

E: "The Colbert Report," which spun off "The Daily Show" in 2005, has won six Emmys and is nominated again this year. But Colbert's finest Emmy moment may have been in 2006, when he and Jon Stewart were presenters. "Good evening, godless sodomites," said Colbert, prompting Stewart to ask what he was doing. "I'm bringing the truth, Jon. We're in Hollywood, the belly of the beast." Colbert's outrage at show biz escalated until he compared the award to "a golden idol to worship" and shouted, "Kneel before your god, Babylon!"

F: As part of a charity fund-raising effort, Colbert visited his new "BFF" Jimmy Fallon on NBC's "Late Night" show to sing "Friday," the inane YouTube hit by Rebecca Black. Backed by the Roots, a tuxedo-clad Colbert went all epic on lyrics like "Party! Party!" as he was joined by Fallon and former "American Idol" winner Taylor Hicks. Rather than mock the viral hit, he made it a TGIF tribute for the ages.

G: Religion is a recurring theme in Colbert's life and work. As the self-described most famous Catholic in America, he has examined Pope Francis's secret life as a superhero on "Colbert Report" and had a guest role as a priest on "The Mindy Project." But perhaps his greatest legacy to faith and comedy was his "Daily Show" recurring segment, "This Week in God" (which gets extra points for the beep-boop sound of the God machine).

H: The holiday TV special was given a meta-makeover by 2008's "A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All." Aired on Comedy Central and released as a DVD, it featured Colbert trapped in a woodsy cabin and menaced by his No. 1 enemy, bears, as he introduced big-name guests performing new and unusual songs, from Toby Keith's angry anthem about the war on Christmas to John Legend's sexy ode to nutmeg. Oh, and Willie Nelson performed a carol called "Little Dealer Boy."

I: Colbert's comic sensibilities are rooted in improvisation, which he did most notably at Chicago's Second City, where he once understudied for Steve Carell. While at the legendary comedy training ground, he also met Amy Sedaris and Paul Dinello, who would remain collaborators on later projects like Comedy Central's cult sitcom "Strangers With Candy." Fun fact: While guesting on "The Daily Show," Second City alum Tina Fey told Stewart that between Colbert and Carell, "one of the two, and I will not say which one, was a notorious ladies' man."

J: Meet the new "Late Show" bandleader: Jon Batiste, 28, a New Orleans-born virtuoso whose jazz band, Stay Human, is coming with him. In a statement on Batiste's new job, Colbert said: "His music makes the audience feel so good, we may have to install a 'Do Not Make Love' sign."

K: Can Colbert retain David Letterman's older-skewing audience and also compete against the Jimmys by drawing in millennials? His first musical guest, Kendrick Lamar, scheduled for Wednesday, should help cover the latter demographic, while his first sit-down-and-talk guest, George Clooney, arriving Tuesday, will handle the former. Also booked for the first week? GOP presidential candidate Jeb Bush, CEOs Travis Kalanick of Uber and Elon Musk of Telsa Motors, Scarlett Johannson and novelist Stephen King, among others.

L: Colbert's acting roles have mostly been comedic. Well, except for his small part in that "Bewitched" reboot with Will Ferrell and Nicole Kidman. Kidding! But the Colbert Nation of dedicated fans knows that he actually played a seriously creepy character, a forger of antique documents, on a 2004 episode of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent."

M: The Michigan-based "Only in Monroe" public-access show went viral in July when Colbert took over the hosting duties unannounced. His stealth move earned major online buzz for his surprise guest Eminem, whom Colbert peppered with questions about Bob Seger songs.

N: One of his best co-starring roles was as Chuck Noblet, the not-very-closeted, rage-filled, frequently weeping high school teacher on Comedy Central's "Strangers With Candy." Noblet dispensed warped lessons in history and extremely questionable advice to student Jerri Blank (Amy Sedaris), a 46-year-old ex-con, ex-junkie freshman. His pep talk to Jerri on her homecoming queen dreams? "Jerri, don't get down. You want to hear a little secret? You're only as ugly as we think you are."

O: In 2009, Colbert taped a week of "Colbert Report" shows in Baghdad. "Operation Iraqi Stephen: Going Commando" reflected his real-life support for the troops, not just the jingoistic zeal of his on-air character. He spared no effort to bring some cheer to those serving overseas, even when President Barack Obama ordered the commanding general to shave Colbert's head.

P: Rarely has satire been so effective a civics lesson as when Colbert started a super PAC and ran for the presidency in 2012. By creating "Americans For a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow" (with the assistance of former Federal Election Commission chair Trevor Potter), he tried to demonstrate how money is essentially manipulated in the election process. And it worked. A study from the Annenberg Public Policy Center indicated that regular "Colbert Report" viewers were more knowledgeable about campaign finance law than those who tuned into to regular newscasts.

Q: Expect memorable questions from the new "Late Show" host and perhaps a little confrontational interrogating. Take this classic moment with CIA counter-terrorist expert Philip Mudd, who said during a "Colbert Report" interview that he didn't own a TV because It "turns your brain into cotton candy." Colbert spontaneously countered with this: "We're not on Broadway right now. TV is selling your book right now. You want to amend that in any way?"

R: Another measure of Colbert's cultural influence was the 2010 Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, which drew more than 200,000 people to Washington D.C.'s majestic Mall with its plea for reasonable discourse instead of divisive political posturing. To be specific, "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart launched the "Rally to Restore Sanity," while Colbert backed a "March to Keep Fear Alive." The two concepts were meshed for an event that, at one point, featured Colbert wearing a red-white-and-blue jumpsuit and making an entrance from his "fear bunker" in a capsule sort of like the one that rescued the Chilean miners.

S: One trait of his "Colbert Report" persona was his deep love of having things named after him, be it a baby eagle or a treadmill on the International Space Station. In 2006, the Saginaw Spirit hockey team unveiled an eagle mascot named "Steagle Colbeagle," the result of a fan vote that Colbert had plugged on his show. Colbert's pep talk to the team? "Listen up, Spirit. You're not just playing for yourselves or the people of Saginaw anymore. You're playing for my personal glory. I'm a winner! I expect my team to win."

T: In all truthiness, there is possibly no bigger "Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" geek than Colbert. A real-life ardent fan of author J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy classics, he landed a dream-come-true cameo as a Lake-town spy in 2013's "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug."

U: Colbert helped out in 2010 when, along with representatives from the United Farm Workers union, he testified before a House judiciary subcommittee on immigration and farm workers, submitting his serious thoughts on paper, but returning to his right-wing on-air persona when he took the microphone. Describing a day he spent picking vegetables, he begged, "Please don't make me do this again. It is really, really hard."

V: He made the cover of Sports Illustrated wearing a skintight suit after stepping in to help save the U.S. speed-skating team's quest for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. When the team's corporate sponsor had to back out, Colbert successfully called on the Colbert Nation to donate the hundreds of thousands of dollars necessary to sponsor the team

W: During his controversial 2006 monologue at the White House Correspondents Dinner, Colbert's take-no-prisoners jabs at politicians and the press in 2006 was hilarious for viewers and squirm-inducing for attendees. He delivered a mock defense of President George W. Bush's low approval numbers by saying, "We know that polls are just a collection of statistics that reflect what people are thinking in reality. And reality has a well-known liberal bias." And he bashed the media for being co-opted by the establishment it is supposed to skeptically cover. The results were so scathing that the correspondents turned to a completely non-edgy choice, impressionist Rich Little, the next year.

X: The fake news of "The Colbert Report" often generated real news, such as when President Obama guested last year and shared his reservations about the Keystone XL pipeline project.

Y: The top video on the "Late Show With Stephen Colbert" YouTube channel? The shaving of the Colbeard, which so far has racked up 2.1 million hits.

Z: In conclusion we would like to extend our hearty thanks to Mr. Colbert for starring in the 2005 children's educational video, "Sesame Street: All-Star Alphabet." He played the letter Z.

Contact Detroit Free Press writer Julie Hinds: 313-222-6427 or jhinds@freepress.com.

"The Late Show With Stephen Colbert"

Premieres 11:35 p.m., Tue.

CBS