There’s been a tragic lack of Stephen Colbert on TV since the last episode of The Colbert Report aired in December—but not for much longer. As Colbert prepares to take over on Sept. 8, he released this promotional video in which he slowly parts ways with a healthy crop of facial hair. “I adopted a beard that I found on the highway,” he explains before shaving it off piece by piece.
As Colbert trims his beard into various formations, including the “Un-Hitler” and “Half-Wolverine,” a grotesque pile of chin fur collects on the hot dog he’d been eating. But don’t worry, the montage of beard memories at the end, set against a charmingly repurposed version of “Camptown Races,” is wholesome enough to make up for it.
