Ahead of Stephen Colbert's debut as host of CBS' "The Late Show," there are still a lot of questions left to answer. (Video via CBS / "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert")
The biggest of which is probably: Who will he be?
Most commentators have already bid farewell to the character who helmed "The Colbert Report" for nine years. (Video via Comedy Central / 'The Colbert Report')
And while Colbert himself says he's eager to drop the character, from what we've seen, shaking off some of the character's traits might not be that easy. (Video via Time, CBS / 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert')
Rapper Eminem asked, "I'm trying to figure out if you're serious or if ..."
"I'm very serious. If you don't have a retirement fund by the time you're 50, you're dead in the water," Colbert responded.
In that interview with Eminem, Colbert had no problem playing ignorant to make his subject uncomfortable, which was his M.O. on "The Report."
"I'm willfully ignorant of what I'm going to talk about, so disabuse me of my ignorance," Colbert told then-Sen. John Kerry. (Video via Talking Points Memo)
Which did make for some great TV.
Colbert asked California Rep. Barbara Lee: "So you never officially joined the Black Panthers?"
"Never," Lee answered.
"Does that mean you can only raise your fist about this high? Can you raise it higher than that?"
"That's a question I can't even answer because it's so stupid."
It's a persona that apparently predates his time on "The Daily Show" — even, according to his "Strangers with Candy" co-star Paul Dinello. He told The New York Times, even during their time at Second City in Chicago in the '80s, Colbert excelled at playing - (Video via Second City, Comedy Central / "Strangers with Candy")
So don't be surprised if — when Colbert starts his stint as "Late Show" host — the man behind the desk seems familiar.
This video includes images from Getty Images.
