Years before The Office, Steve Carell was a correspondent on The Daily Show, and one of his most popular recurring bits was “Even Stevphen.” The segment was a debate between Carell and then-correspondent Stephen Colbert, intended to mock the arguing between pundits on cable news that often failed to educate anyone on the issue at hand.
On Monday, 25 years after that first “Even Stevphen” sketch, Carell returned to The Late Show to reprise his role, storming on stage to counter Colbert’s proclamation that aging is a good thing: “Steven, we are born astride a grave, and each day, the cruel grasp of time pulls us closer to oblivion. You will never be younger than you are in this moment, and let’s face it, my friend: You haven’t aged well.”
As expected, Colbert, who turned 60 on Monday, countered with an argument that soon slid into ad hominem territory: “Age ripens us like a fine wine, because with age comes experience, and with experience comes wisdom. With wisdom comes the ability to see you for what you are: a sad, dumb, salt-and-pepper idiot.”
