Stephen Colbert's character on "The Colbert Report" has taken a notable stance against Amazon and the company's CEO, whom he compared to Voldemort. The Colbert vs. Amazon feud hit a high this summer when the Amazon/Hachette price war affected Colbert's books.
When Stephen Colbert's character signs off, first-time authors and independent bookstores could lose their champion, and Amazon could continue on unchecked on late-night television. (Who knows if “Late Show” Colbert will continue the fight against the giant?)
And while some would say that all press is good press, in this case Colbert actually funneled a lot of dollars to Amazon competitors like Powell's Books.
To remind you of Colbert's brilliant ability to tackle Amazon's infuriating tactics, here are the best blows dealt to Amazon by Stephen Colbert.
It started out with quick jokes during the intro like this shot lobbed at Amazon on Feb. 26, 2009:
And again, Colbert teased Amazon on Sept. 28, 2011:
On Feb. 13, 2012, Colbert reported on a customer who found cocaine in a book ordered from Amazon:
Things didn't really start to heat up until Feb. 20, 2012, during an interview with author Ann Patchett. During the interview, they discussed independent bookstores and Colbert called Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos a "vindictive man." The full transcript can be read here:
On December 2, 2013 Colbert took aim at Amazon's plans for delivery drones:
And then hit Amazon hard by mocking its "audacious photography patent," which was the butt of a May 14, 2014, segment:
On June 4, 2014, the war in earnest began, when Colbert found out his books were affected by the Hachette/Amazon feud:
And later that episode he and Sherman Alexie escalated the conflict:
On June 12, 2014, Colbert slammed Amazon's "scorched earth tactics":
On July 21, 2014, Colbert had first-time novelist Edan Lepuckie on the show. She became a New York Times bestseller, and Colbert declared victory:
And then he offered the "Colbert bump" to another book, "Sweetness #9":
Finally, he reminded viewers of his war on Oct. 30, 2014, when announcing his final date and pushing "America Again." We'll miss you, Stephen Colbert:
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