Colbert: The Irony of Satire

Don't You Know The Joker Laughs At You?

Ohio State's Heather LaMarre, Kristen Landreville, and Michael Beam asked 322 individuals what they thought of Stephen Colbert:

There was no significant difference between the groups in thinking Colbert was funny, but conservatives were more likely to report that Colbert only pretends to be joking and genuinely meant what he said while liberals were more likely to report that Colbert used satire and was not serious when offering political statements. Conservatism also significantly predicted perceptions that Colbert disliked liberalism.

The Irony of Satire - Political Ideology and the Motivation to See What You Want to See in The Colbert Report.