Stephen Colbert revives Colbert Report alter-ego to discuss Bill O'Reilly

'Hello, nation. Shame on you. You failed him. You failed Bill O’Reilly'

Stephen Colbert has long been an ardent Bill O’Reilly protester, the late night host having mocked the ex-Fox News pundit throughout his long career.

Opening his show, Colbert called O’Reilly — who was recently fired by Fox — “a self-righteous landfill of angry garbage,” adding: “We all saw this coming at us, like an old man cornering an intern in the breakroom.”

However, while The Late Show host may have been overjoyed, Stephen Colbert of The Colbert Report — a super-Republican character played by Colbert — was feeling a little saddened.

“Hello, nation,” the alter-ego said ‘via satellite’. “Shame on you. You failed him. You failed Bill O’Reilly. You didn’t deserve this great man. All he ever did was have your back. And if you’re a woman, you know, have a go at the front, too.”

“And so what? Suddenly, sexual harassment’s a crime? That’s the country we live in now: Obama’s Trump’s America. I guess I always knew this day would come. When I first saw Bill on TV, I knew in my heart that no one could possibly sustain such a broad character for that long.”

Colbert then offered O’Reilly a place in his and Jon Stewart’s cabin in the woods. “Jon and I milk the goats, and soon, I hope we’ll be milking you.” He finished: “Stay strong, Papa Bear.” Watch below.

Recently, Colbert criticised Pepsi over their controversial advert, mocking: “We have a deeply divided nation, but today, it seems that everyone has come together to join the protest against the new protest ad from Pepsi.”