Stephen Colbert Can’t Legally Bring On His ‘Colbert Report’ Alter-Ego — So Meet His Twin

Nostalgic late-show viewers were pleased last week with the return of Jon Stewart, and the return of Stephen Colbert's Colbert Report alter-ego to The Late Show, but not everyone was happy with the return of the conservative caricature. As the real Colbert explained on Wednesday's episode, a lawyer from another big company (almost certainly Viacom, which owns Comedy Central) informed CBS' lawyers that the Colbert persona was their intellectual property. 

"'Stephen Colbert' is their intellectual property, which is surprising, because I never considered that guy much of an intellectual," Colbert says. "So it is with a heavy heart that I announce that, thanks to corporate lawyers, the character of 'Stephen Colbert,' host of The Colbert Report, will never be seen again." 

A chorus of boos erupted from the audience, but Colbert quickly assuaged his fans: We might not get that Colbert, but we can still see his identical "twin cousin," also called Stephen Colbert. 

Colbert said the identical twin cousin will be a regular on The Late Show, despite the likely grievances of the corporate lawyers. With that, the host decided to end the segment with "The Werd," a tongue-in-cheek iteration of The Colbert Report's "The Word." 

Colbert broke down the now-formally nominated presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, and why their respective approval ratings are so low. 

Rather, Colbert suggested that this year's election should have Americans vote against a candidate, rather than for them. Essentially, the winner would be the person with the lowest score. 

"Yes, you might have to vote for a person you don't really want," Colbert concludes. "But it's better than getting the person you really don't want." 

Watch the full segment below.

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