 Bill O'Reilly, whom the character affectionately nicknames "Papa Bear", is the most commonly cited point of reference.In a 2006 episode of "The Colbert Report", Colbert remarked that, "if it wasn't for [O'Reilly], this show wouldn’t exist".In adapting the character for the "Report", Colbert has also mentioned Aaron Brown, Anderson Cooper, Sean Hannity, Lou Dobbs and Joe Scarborough as having an influence over his performance.