Before the Report: Stephen Colbert's Rise From Sketch Shows to America's Hero

Read our new cover story "The Subversive Joy of Stephen Colbert" in the new issue, and check out bonus Colbert Q&A.

Before Stephen Colbert was a beloved political satirist and Peabody-winning grizzly bear detractor, he was an actor and comedian shuffling his way through various sketch shows and under-the-radar cameos. His stoic deadpan and occasional bouts of bluster were already present in the roles he would take on before The Colbert Report premiered in 2005, revealing an actor with Hartman-esque range aching for a breakout role. Rolling Stone takes a look back at the pre-fame Colbert with some classic clips waiting to be dredged up for his next Green Screen Challenge.

EXIT 57
After years studying and performing at Chicago's famed comedy launchpad Second City, Colbert made the journey to New York to develop Exit 57, a sketch show featuring fellow Chi-Town improv alums Amy Sedaris and Paul Dinello. Dry and absurd like an American Kids in the Hall and full of skits that often ended with a screeching halt, the underappreciated show lasted just 12 episodes, airing on Comedy Central from 1995 to 1996.

THE DANA CARVEY SHOW
Fresh off one the most iconic Saturday Night Live runs in history, Dana Carvey brought his manic impressions to primetime with a 1996 sketch show. Cancelled after seven episodes, Carvey's profile never recovered. But during its brief run, the show cobbled together a writing staff that would change the next decade of comedy: Robert Smigel of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog fame, Chris Rock Show writer Louis C.K., future 40-Year-Old Virgin star Steve Carrell and post-modern Being John Malkovich screenwriter Charlie Kaufman. And of course there was Stephen Colbert, who appeared in the types of sketches that made their advertisers nervous, most notably "Skinheads From Maine" and providing the voice of Ace for future SNL staple "The Ambiguously Gay Duo."