Erik George Builds 80-Plus-Entry Colbert Archive as The Late Show Nears Final Sign-Off
Updated
Updated · LateNighter · May 20
Erik George Builds 80-Plus-Entry Colbert Archive as The Late Show Nears Final Sign-Off
2 articles · Updated · LateNighter · May 20
Erik George has launched “The Coal Bare Questionnaire,” a searchable site preserving every public “Colbert Questionert” response as Stephen Colbert prepares to take the segment himself in its final Late Show installment.
More than 80 public figures — from Barack Obama to Bruce Springsteen — are cataloged by celebrity and by question, letting users compare answers on everything from favorite sandwiches to beliefs about death.
George, who works in data and analytics, also built a matching tool so visitors can answer the 15-question quiz and see which celebrity they most resemble; weak matches get labels like “Glowing Ember” or a lump of coal.
He said he hopes to keep expanding the database after The Late Show ends, aiming to give the long-running segment a life beyond Colbert’s final sign-off.
Do 15 simple questions reveal a celebrity's soul, or just a carefully crafted public image?
As fans build digital archives, are they becoming the new curators of our cultural history?