Eric Deggans

But later, Colbert did define it more definitively, which is this idea that believing passionately that

Because you believe something is true, it must be true, regardless of the facts.

And, of course, we were seeing this across all kinds of punditry on cable TV news and even on talk radio.

People like Rush Limbaugh, people like Bill O'Reilly, people like Sean Hannity.

constantly insisting that because they believe something was true, that it must be true, regardless of what the facts might actually say.

The ultimate expression of what they call confirmation bias.

Sorry to put my professional's hat on for a minute.

Of course.

So then he sort of embodies that as a character.

for nine years on the Colbert Report.

And then he comes over to The Late Show, and he's living in a world that is constructed, a political world that is constructed by truthiness.

Donald Trump's and MAGA Republicans' secret weapon

is truthiness.

And so now he has to navigate that as an actual person, as himself.

And it's just been fascinating to watch how he coined exactly what we would be struggling with for the next 20 years.

And in the end, his show was, you could argue, if you doubt CBS and you think one reason his show got canceled was because he was a consistent Trump critic, his show was felled by truthiness.

He identified the thing that ultimately would end his TV hosting career.

You know, there's all sorts of parallels that are poignant there.

Well, certainly I think late night TV is challenged, right?

And its biggest challenge is that