| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| The WristStrong Saga | ||||
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When Stephen Colbert was struck with a completely non-life-threatening broken wrist in 2007 ("felled by a wall that was too lazy to stand up for itself — the floor"), he didn't hesitate to take a stand against wrist violence. He turned to "the most powerful tool known to man — the silicone bracelet." Unlike Lance Armstrong's well-known awareness accessory, Colbert's was "crafted from the rarest of plastic — red." He enjoined others to pass them on to famous people, and the bracelet was soon seen on stations from CNN to FOX...and from earth to space (thanks to an obliging astronaut).
Colbert also had everyone from Nancy Pelosi to Bill O'Reilly sign his cast, which was eventually removed on the show ("Tear down this cast!") and auctioned for $17,200. The sale of thousands of bracelets raised even more money for the Yellow Ribbon Fund, which supports wounded soldiers and their families. In January 2008 he presented the organization with a check for more than $170,000.