 During this time, the comedian developed the character that would later form the basis for his "Colbert Report" persona, one that its creator calls a "fool who has spent a lot of his life playing not the fool".Colbert frequently cites Stone Phillips — whom he describes as having "the greatest neck in journalism" — as a source of inspiration for the character, as well as Geraldo Rivera, "because he's got this great sense of mission...He just thinks he's gonna change the world with this report".