Stephen Colbert Thinks The Hobbit Is Pretty Meh

You don’t have to know Stephen Colbert too well to know that the guy is a huge Lord of the Rings fan. Going back to The Colbert Report, the late-night host has, time and again, proved himself to be a die-hard expert at Lord of the Rings trivia whether he’s taking his show to New Zealand, speaking with audience members just trying to test his knowledge, or actually appearing in one of the movies. So during last night’s show, Patton Oswalt’s shock was understandable when, after telling Colbert about recently finishing the Harry Potter books with his daughter and now wanting a new book to read with her, the conversation led to a startling revelation. That revelation? Colbert thinks The Hobbit is sort of meh, and he wouldn’t recommend Oswalt and his daughter move onto that next. “The Hobbit is not The Lord of the Rings,� Colbert argues. “Your Twitter mentions are going to go into the toilet right now. Oh my God!� Oswalt says. Sure, there are some things in The Hobbit that Colbert thinks are great — he just says it doesn’t have the “high style and the language� of The Lord of the Rings. “But for a 10-year-old?� Oswalt asks. But Colbert is firm in his “skip The Hobbit� stance. “She’s ready, man! She’s Patton Oswalt’s daughter!�