The Colbert character first appeared in 1996 on the short-lived sketch series The Dana Carvey Show, portrayed as a self-important, trench-coated reporter.

Stewart and Karlin reportedly came up with the idea for the show after watching news coverage of the sexual harassment lawsuit filed against Bill O'Reilly, pitching it as 'Our version of the O'Reilly Factor with Stephen Colbert.'

Comedy Central president Doug Herzog committed to an eight-week tryout for the show without ever seeing a pilot episode.

During development, Jon Stewart clarified the character's tone by telling Colbert 'You're not an asshole. You're an idiot. There's a difference,' shaping the character as well-intentioned rather than mean-spirited.

The show was taped at NEP Studio 54 in Hell's Kitchen, New York City, the same studio previously used by The Daily Show until July 2005.

The set, called 'The Eagle's Nest,' was designed by Jim Fenhagen, who drew inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper, casting the Colbert character in the position of Jesus Christ.

A portrait above the set's fireplace was updated every year on the show's anniversary to include Colbert standing in front of an image of himself standing in front of the previous year's painting, creating an infinite recursive gallery.

The show's theme song, 'Baby Mumbles' by Cheap Trick, was created after Colbert personally called guitarist Rick Nielsen; the melody is largely the band's song 'I Want You to Want Me' played backwards.

Colbert broke his left wrist in June 2007 while performing his pre-show warm-up, which became a running bit on the show including the creation of 'Wriststrong' wristbands.

During the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike, Colbert continued broadcasting without writers and changed the show's pronunciation to enunciate both silent final 't's.

For a 2009 series of episodes filmed for troops in Baghdad, Colbert had a custom Army Combat Uniform tailored, underwent an abbreviated basic training regimen, and had his head shaved on stage by General Ray Odierno.

Colbert's searing 2006 White House Correspondents' Dinner performance targeting President Bush drew a chilly reception in the room, with several of Bush's aides walking out, but it became an internet sensation and was later called the 'defining moment' of the 2006 midterm elections by Frank Rich.

In 2006, Colbert urged fans to vote for a bridge in Hungary to be named after him in an online poll, winning by more than 14 million votes, though he was ultimately disqualified since the bridge's name was meant to be a memorial.

In 2011, Colbert established a real Super PAC called 'Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow,' jokingly described by his character as '100 percent legal and at least 10 percent ethical.'

In 2008, a researcher named a newly discovered species of trapdoor spider, Aptostichus stephencolberti, in honor of Stephen Colbert.

The series finale on December 18, 2014, drew 2.4 million viewers, making it the most-watched episode in the show's history and the most-watched cable program in its time slot that night.