Did Stephen Colbert Send A Secret Message To Hacker Group Anonymous?

Last night on The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert described Anonymous, the Internet group that originated on imageboard 4chan, as a “hornets nest” and described the actions of Aaron Barr, the computer security expert that tried to go up against the group, as “sticking your penis in the hornet’s nest.” However, Colbert had another message for the members of the group, one he delivered subliminally. The question now is…is Stephen Colbert actually a “/b/tard?”

It occurred during and interview with Salon’s Glenn Greenwald, a WikiLeaks supporter who Barr’s security firm attempted to intimidate. Towards the end of the interview, as Greenwald was talking, attentive viewers or people with really nice HD sets could notice that the image of a Guy Fawkes mask flashed over Colbert’s face for less than a second. The Guy Fawkes look is, of course, one that has been used as a symbol for Anonymous as a reference to the book and movie V for Vendetta. (Memo to Glenn Beck: Wael Ghonim also claimed V for Vendetta as an inspiration. Episode linking the uprisings to Anonymous, please).

Colbert has always been good at working with influential online communities. Just look at his love for Reddit. If Anonymous is a hornet’s nest, then this subliminal message could best be described as putting a big sign up saying “All hornets welcome!”

Check out the interview from Comedy Central below. The subliminal mask image occurs around the 3:20 point.

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