Every Halloween, most people typically spread fear by donning frightening costumes, but this year, comedian Stephen Colbert has something different in mind.
Colbert, the host of Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report,” hopes to get people afraid at his “March to Keep Fear Alive” rally at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 30.
“Fear is ubiquitous,” he said. “And I don’t even know what ubiquitous means.”
The rally is a counter to fellow Comedy Central comedian Jon Stewart’s “Rally to Restore Sanity,” which will also be held that Saturday at the National Mall.
Both rallies are reactions to Glenn Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally on Aug. 28, which aimed to “celebrate America by honoring our heroes, our heritage and our future,” according to Beck’s website.
On Stewart’s rally, Colbert said in a conference call with The Daily Free Press and 21 other college media outlets that he doesn’t think a rally for sanity makes sense.
“I don’t think it’s possible to get excited for moderate behavior,” he said. “What, are you going to get “extremely moderate’ at the rally?”
Colbert thinks Stewart’s “people” might get “dangerously reasonable” and “sane with power” at the rally.
“I might have to bring Hell’s Angels,” he said.
As far as personal fears go, Colbert said he is afraid that people like Stewart more than they like him, that Stewart will win another Emmy next year, that he’ll “gray” like Stewart and that more people will go to Stewart’s rally.
If Stewart gets more attendees, Colbert plans on “bursting into tears and curling into the fetal position.”
To prepare for the rally, Colbert said he’s been working out to become “totally cut” so he can sport a unitard.
But Colbert acknowledged that people might be afraid of the rally itself.
“I understand this fear,” he said. “There will be hundreds of thousands of people. . . it could be the center of a pandemic.”
Despite the potential fear of the fear rally, more than 10,000 people RSVP’d yes to Colbert’s rally on Facebook.
“I was surprised at the Facebook turnout and donations to Donorschoose.org,” he said.
In 72 hours, fans raised more than $200 thousand for the charity that benefits public schools. Colbert said his goal is to raise $500 thousand.
Donations are a way to have an “immediate effect,” he said.
“I’d also like to get Jon to admit he’s terrified,” he added.
Colbert said he hopes the event will go down in history as a “generation-defining event.”
“If that’s all I achieve with it, then I’ll be satisfied,” he said.
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