NEW YORK — Stephen Colbert will broadcast four shows next week from Baghdad, where he says he will be “Bob Hope-ing” it for the troops.
Colbert arrived at the former Al Faw Palace at Camp Victory on Friday. For weeks, he has promoted the trip on Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report,” but because the military urged caution, he has only trumpeted a vague trip to “the Persian Gulf.”
The series of shows, each to be taped in front of an audience of about 450 service members, have been dubbed “Operation Iraqi Stephen: Going Commando.” It’s the first time anyone has broadcast from Iraq for a USO tour.
The 45-year-old comedian says he’s not afraid of the danger of visiting Iraq (“I’m not a high-value target”). Instead, he said he’s only nervous about doing a good show for the troops.
“The show is always about me, it’s always about the character,” Colbert said. “What’s different about this is, it’s really about them. If they laugh, I’ll be completely satisfied.”
