Stephen Colbert refuses to host talk shows.
 Only two of the segments he proposed were ever produced and only one aired, but the job led his agent to refer him to The Daily Show's producer, Madeline Smithberg, who hired Colbert on a trial basis in 1997
Colbert has also cited Jim Gaffigan, Maria Bamford, Joe Pera, John Mulaney, and Eric Andre, as some of his favorite contemporary comedians

