Stephen Colbert Apologizes To Bob Kerrey 7 Years After The Fact

Stephen Colbert often plays the role of a political or socially inept buffoon during his interviews with high profile guests on his hit Comedy Central show The Colbert Report. Unfortunately not all guests are in on the joke and in at least one case it caused a conflict for more than seven years.

Colbert was speaking on Sunday’s Meet The Press on NBC when he explained that his shows character is that of an “active idiot” who is “willfully ignorant of what you know and care about.”

Before they appear in a show segment Stephen Colbert says he tells guests:

“Please honestly disabuse me of my ignorance, and we’ll have a great time.”

Unfortunately back in 2005 former Democratic Senator Bob Kerrey didn’t get the message. Kerrey was discussing the aftermath of 9/11 and the invasion of Iraq when everything went horribly wrong. According to Colbert:

“… We were about three minutes into a seven-minute interview. And I don’t know what I said, but he turned to me and he said, ‘What the hell are you talking about?’ … But in the middle of the interview, I couldn’t explain to him what it was. … And then he just [took the] mic off and then left as soon as the interview was over. So I hope at some point someone explained to him that I was just fooling, senator. And I’m very sorry.”

Colbert goes on in his interview to joke about not watching the news, he says of his political background and filming The Colbert Report:

“I come in around 6:30 and then I just say the opposite of whatever Rachel Maddow said the night before … And I’m usually good.”

No word from Bob Kerrey’s party as to whether or not he accepts Stephen Colbert’s apology.