The satirical “Stephen Colbert” has made enough Late Show returns that the Colbert Report reprisal is almost old-hat, though there’s something to be said for the character’s fallen inspiration. As such, watch the fictional Colbert say goodbye to spiritual mentor Bill O’Reilly, following the Fox News host’s Wednesday ouster.

As the real Late Show Colbert notes, he spent nine years with a satirical right-wing persona that owed significant debt to O’Reilly, who himself was finally cut loose from Fox News after twenty-one years. The fictional Colbert extended an invitation for O’Reilly to join he and Jon Stewart in an off-screen cabin, lamenting “Stay strong, Papa Bear.”

Here’s the shortened version:

For his part, the real Colbert has found himself opposite O’Reilly on a number of occasions, both as the fictional Comedy Central Stephen Colbert pundit, and the actual CBS Late Show host. O’Reilly, meanwhile, was ousted from Fox News after recent reports of settlements for sexual harassment cases over the last decade, amid a myriad of other testimonials.

You can watch Colbert’s brief salute to his former inspiration above, and stay tuned for more.

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