Who Made Huckabee?, also known as the Colbert/O'Brien/Stewart feud, refers to a mock rivalry that occurred among late night talk show hosts Stephen Colbert, Conan O'Brien and Jon Stewart in early 2008, reportedly over who was responsible for then–presidential candidate Mike Huckabee's success in the presidential primaries.
In reality, however, the feud was concocted by the three comedians as a result of the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike. Without writers to fuel their banter, the three comedians staged a crossover/rivalry in order to fill airtime and garner more viewers during the ratings slump. Colbert made the claim that because of "the Colbert bump" in popularity which results from guest appearances on his show, he was responsible for recurring guest Huckabee's success in the 2008 Iowa caucus. O'Brien claimed he was responsible for cable personality Colbert's success because he mentioned Colbert on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, a broadcast network show, and by extension was behind the success of Huckabee. In response, Stewart claimed he was responsible for O'Briens original success, since Stewart featured him on The Jon Stewart Show in the early 1990s.
As the feud escalated, O'Brien, Colbert and Stewart each put forward increasingly farcical reasons he was responsible for Huckabee's success, insulting their rivals in the process. This resulted in a three-part comedic battle between the three faux-pundits, with all three appearing on each other's shows on the same night. The feud ended on Late Night with Conan O'Brien with a tongue-in-cheek "all-out brawl" between the three talk-show hosts. Conan, Stewart, Colbert unite in TV feud . The Associated Press. Retrieved on February 5, 2008.
Reaction to the "feud" by both the public and the media was mostly positive. TV Squad's Annie Wu wrote: "With the three hosts appearing on each other's shows all on one night, it was special appearances galore. It became a clash of the Titans, a battle of epic proportions, a heaping helping of Monday fanservice." Even so, the three comedians "shared a certain comedic sensibility", and admitted that they had a good time while helping each other out. O'Brien said: "It certainly helped that all three of us [were] in a period of our careers where we're looking for content."
The feud
Beginning
The 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike, which began in November 2007, strongly affected the United States' entertainment industry. Virtually all scripted Hollywood shows were expected to shut down by the week of December 19, 2007.Hollywood writers' strike could shut down industry, ABC News, November 3, 2007 Hollywood journalist Nikki Finke reported, "CEOs are determined to write off not just the rest of this TV season (including the Back 9 of scripted series), but also pilot season and the 2008/2009 schedule as well. Indeed, network orders for reality TV shows are pouring into the agencies right now."
Of the "Big Four" networks—CBS, ABC, NBC and Fox—NBC had the most severe ad shortfall as its prime time ratings declined sharply; none of its new shows achieved breakout success. Moreover, during 2007, NBC saw its prime time 18-to-49-year-old viewership drop by 11%, CBS dropped the same demographic by 10%, and ABC lost 5%.
Although he is a WGA member who pledged support for the writers, O'Brien announced that following the collapse of negotiations, Late Night with Conan O'Brien would return to air on January 2, 2008, without writers, citing his non-writing staff facing layoffs as the main reason. Later, Stewart and Colbert announced that their shows, The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, would also return without writers on January 7, 2008. To show respect to the picketing writers, The Daily Show was renamed, for the duration of the strike, A Daily Show with Jon Stewart.. The Daily Show, Comedy Central. Aired on January 7, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-06-10. Similarly, The Colbert Report was rebranded as The Colbert Report (with hard T's) for its first new episode since the strike began.Blogging 'The Colbert Report'. New York Magazine (January 2008). Retrieved on July 5, 2008. On January 2, 2008, Late Night featured a small musical segment at the beginning of the show detailing O'Brien's newly grown beard in a similar show of support for the striking writers.
Huckabee generated a considerable following of young voters during his campaign, primarily because of his support of the Fair Tax as well as his concerns about global warming, education, and several other issues typically not referred to by Republicans.Mike Huckabee Weighs In on Gay Rights... And Opening for Zeppelin? (MTV News, February 1, 2008). Most notable is the following Huckabee gathered among the younger crowd via the internet. Huck's Army, an online grassroots coalition and volunteer think tank, is largely composed of younger, more technologically savvy adherents. So productive was this group that it received national media attention and was credited by Huckabee as "the secret weapon of our campaign".
On January 4, 2008, O'Brien attempted to take responsibility for Huckabee's popularity among young voters by claiming that his show was the sole cause of Huckabee's status in the votes, due to his use of "The Walker, Texas Ranger Lever", which increased the popularity of actor and public Huckabee supporter Chuck Norris. O'Brien reasoned that the popularity of Norris, fueled by the Late Night sketch, translated into support for Huckabee.A recurring gag on the show is O'Brien's use of a lever called "The Walker, Texas Ranger Lever" to show clips from the series (most of the clips are usually fight scenes). Source: Steinberg, Jacques. The Story Behind a Late-Night Brawl The New York Times. Published February 6, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-06-10. Colbert later lashed out at O'Brien on his own show on January 16, 2008, claiming that he himself was responsible for Huckabee's success in the Iowa caucus thanks to his giving Huckabee "the Colbert bump," a rise in popularity following an appearance on The Colbert Report. The exasperated Colbert ended his rant with this "threat" against O'Brien:
So back off of Mike Huckabee, or I will kick your 'translucent white ass! You got that, Irish?"Back Off Mike Huckabee" . The Colbert Report, Comedy Central. Aired on 2008-01-16. Retrieved on 2008-06-08
During the January 17, 2008, episode of Late Night, O'Brien, in what he later described as "a heated moment", called Colbert the "temporary host of The Colbert Report." O'Brien also refused to recant his statement concerning Huckabee, claiming that, just by mentioning Colbert on his network show, he was, in turn, "breathing life" into Colbert'''s "basic cable" career. Therefore, according to his logic, "if Colbert made Huckabee, and Conan made Colbert, then Conan made Huckabee!""Conan vs. Colbert: Who Made Huckabee? Part 1" . Late Night with Conan O'Brien, NBC. Aired on January 17, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-07-19.
In response, during the January 29, 2008, episode of The Colbert Report, Colbert, persuaded by "the soundness of [O'Brien's] logic", was prepared to concede. Before he could, however, Jon Stewart, Colbert's former Daily Show colleague, appeared on the set and cautioned Colbert against doing so. Stewart exhibited a vintage VHS tape, which contained footage of him introducing O'Brien on Stewart's earlier MTV program, The Jon Stewart Show, in 1994. Therefore, by his own logic:
Colbert made Huckabee ... Conan made Colbert ... Jon Stewart made Conan ... Jon Stewart made Huckabee!"Jon Settles Colbert-Conan Feud" . Comedy Central. Aired on 2008-01-29. Retrieved on 2008-06-09.
Colbert accepted this, as it kept Huckabee's 'creation' "in the family." Stewart then jokingly said it was up to O'Brien to respond, so that the three of them could "figure out a way to settle the matter that wastes time on all three of [their] shows"—an obvious allusion to the writers' strike and the need to generate new material without said writers. Colbert ended the segment with the crack, "Ball's in your court, Conan!"
Escalation Upon learning of Stewart's involvement in the feud, O'Brien used his February 1, 2008, episode to show a modified photo of himself as a doctor delivering both Colbert and Stewart as babies, after which he proceeded to make fun of their genitalia."Conan vs. Colbert: Stewart Gets Involved" . Late Night with Conan O'Brien, NBC. Aired on February 1, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-07-19. O'Brien continued the earlier chain of reasoning by arguing that by delivering Stewart and Colbert to the world, he deserved credit for any of their potential accomplishments, including Huckabee. O'Brien then made the following statement:
I think this ends the feud. But this is my warning—and this is not a threat, this is a promise! If either Stewart or Colbert mentions this again in any way, I am going over to their tiny little studio, and I am kicking some Comedy Central ass!
This resulted in a three-part comedic battle between the three faux-pundits, with all three appearing on each other's shows on February 4, 2008. It all began on the set of The Daily Show, when Colbert, to thunderous applause, interrupted the middle of a seemingly normal show to thank Stewart for settling the feud. Stewart at first responded happily to this, but then grew visibly frightened once Colbert informed him of O'Brien's response from a few days before."Late Night Tangle" . The Daily Show, Comedy Central. Aired on January 4, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-06-09. Colbert then began taunting O'Brien, calling him "cheap", "stupid" and "lazy"—much to Stewart's chagrin, who begged Colbert to stop. It was too late, however, as O'Brien, accompanied by thunderous applause, quickly walked in and furiously scolded the two for keeping the feud going. A seething Colbert, nonetheless, refused to back down, and even snarled at O'Brien: "You want to tangle, Red?" O'Brien agreed, but as the two prepared to take the fight outside, Stewart reminded them that he had to finish his show. O'Brien and Colbert agreed to wait outside, where they engaged in idle chit chat.
When Stewart finished, he went into the hall to find Colbert was gone to tape his show."Moment of Zen - Conan Fight" . The Daily Show, Comedy Central. Aired on February 4, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-06-09. On the set of The Colbert Report, Colbert was discussing John McCain's rise in the polls, and joked that since the media had said that "a vote for Mike Huckabee is a vote for McCain", and Colbert was Huckabee's "running mate," then Colbert, "by the transitive property of Huckabee", was really McCain."Conan and Jon" . The Colbert Report, Comedy Central. Aired on February 4, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-06-09. He was soon interrupted by Stewart and O'Brien, who had just left the set of The Daily Show to continue their fight. Stewart jokingly claimed that, since he had "made" both Colbert and O'Brien, Stewart himself was McCain—clearly provoking O'Brien.Tapper, Jake. "Political Punch: Colbert, Conan & Stewart Fight Over Huckabee". ABC. Posted February 7, 2008. Retrieved on June 9, 2008. After some playful attacks, Colbert persuaded the two to wait outside until he finished taping his show.