Comedy Central Host: Hi everyone. Welcome to the comedycentral.com event chat. Tonight's guest, Steve Carell, one of "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart's" extremely talented correspondents. So lets get started...

Nightwing: Do you have a favorite segment that you have done?

Steve Carell: Probably "Slimming Down with Steve." It's given me the opportunity to poke fun at the whole public weight loss phenomenon. It was modeled after the Star Jones - "Star Gets Physical."

AshaZoe: What is your comedic background, how did you get started?

Steve Carell: After I graduated from college, I moved to Chicago and ultimately got a job with the Second City and that was probably the best comedic experience that I had. It taught me a lot about Improv and about working with people and as an ensemble - writing, performing night after night. That's where I met Stephen Colbert.

Vanceswebmaster: Steve, are you heartsick that fellow correspondent Vance DeGeneres is leaving TDS tomorrow night?

Steve Carell: Totally. He's one of my best friends in New York and before I came to The Daily Show I always thought he was the funniest person on the show and I'm sick over his leaving. I'm happy for him because I know he wants to live in LA and he has a great opportunity.

Nightwing: Who has been your fave guest that you've interviewed?

Steve Carell: Oddly enough, Paul Reubens because he was so very strange and he came out, seemed to have a bit of an attitude and it turned out to be fun to play with. I don't think that he quite knew what to make of me but I enjoyed that.

Comedy Central Host: Are you currently involved in any other projects besides The Daily Show?

Steve Carell: Just my building of dollhouses. And I enjoy collecting little Hummel figurines. In other words, no. There is really no time to do anything else with the traveling and the spots in the studio. It doesn't leave much time to pursue other professional avenues right now.

Andrya: What's your favorite part of "The Daily Show?"

Steve Carell: I guess I've always like the field pieces. I like seeing what the other correspondents have come back from the road with. It's always fun to compare notes after people get back and to see what a piece becomes after you've seen it at its inception, its development and then what the final product looks like. that's always fun. I think it gives the show something that no other show on television has. I think the field pieces help set The Daily Show apart.

CeruleanBlueSAF: What is your favorite skit/story on The Daily Show so far?

Steve Carell: I generally enjoy the pieces that are a little bit darker. Recently Stephen Colbert did a piece about freeze dried cats and it ruffled a lot of feathers but I thought it was hysterical. Generally the darker it is, the funnier it has the potential to be.

crazyassbasterd: Do you prefer being a correspondent or actually hosting the show?

Steve Carell: I like hosting because it pays better.They're both a lot of fun. Hosting is a much bigger responsibility and it's more difficult to get the hang of. It's a shame Jon hasn't gotten the hang of it yet. *laughs*

joshgp: After all your jokes about taking over the Job from Mr. Stewart would you really want to do it?

Steve Carell: Only if it would involve a painful departure on his part.

Steve Carell: Of course, I'd take the job in a second but I don't think it's in the offing and I truly hope Jon stays for a long time. Because quite seriously I believe he's made The Daily Show what it is today and it would lose a lot in his absence.

CeruleanBlueSAF: How did both you and Nancy end up at The Daily Show? I remember hearing you were both on SNL @ the same time. Did you plan it?

Steve Carell: We actually worked both on SNL. That was a bit of a stretch. I did a voice for a character in one of the cartoons on SNL and somehow I got credited with being on SNL. I do the voice of Gary in "The Ambiguously Gay Duo." Nancy was on SNL. I actually got The Daily Show job through Stephen Colbert, we'd worked together for a long time previously and he recommended me to the executive producers and I got the job and a few months after I started working Nancy just happened to meet our executive producer who instantly took a liking to her for some reason - I have no idea why. She's not a very nice person. He offered to have her do a field piece and she was hired after that.

stevecarell4prez: Steve, it almost seems as if you and wife Nancy Walls have some real chemistry in your pieces. Are there plans for you two to do more work together on the show?

Steve Carell: Can you even imagine a husband and wife having any sort of chemistry? How implausible is that?? Actually, I'd love to do more of the "We Love Show Biz" segments in particular and we enjoy working together. We make each other laugh a lot.

Bowser: Steve, what is your first love, writing or acting?

Steve Carell: My first love is Nancy Walls.

Steve Carell: I hate you for assuming I would take my work more seriously than my personal relationships. How dare you?!

IckyCow: Who made you the most uncomfortable out of all the guest you interviewed?

Steve Carell: Without a doubt it would be Uncle Junior from "The Sopranos." He was a very difficult person to interview because usually when you ask someone a question they will have some sort of response other than "Hey, hey...yeah." VERY nice man, not an easy interview.

Anduman1: Did you get creeped out by anyone you've done a story on?

Steve Carell: Absolutely. I interviewed a man in Denver who believed that Donnie Osmond, the Mandrell sisters and Bob Hope were aliens. He was in a word psychotic and it was both sad and troubling to spend the day with him.

Zoe: Steve, do you have a favorite correspondent on TDS besides yourself?

Steve Carell: No.

Steve Carell: *laughing* It's all about ME! Honestly, I think every correspondent has a different style and different talents to bring to the show. Mo Rocca has a quirky, off-kilter, highly intelligent look at things; Stephen Colbert a more wry, subtle yet seemingly demented approach; Vance very dry, very classic correspondent. Everyone has their strengths which I think all help the show immeasureably.

Icky Cow: Is "Slimming Down With Steve" actually working for you by making you lose weight?

Steve Carell: Yes. I have lost over 85 pounds. And I feel a little bit weak.

Tones: Where can I get an Mp3 or WAV of the "Sliming Down With Steve" theme song?

Steve Carell: You are insane to want to ever listen to that song more than once. I found that music in our music library at the show. It was some piece of crap public domain thing that I just sang some lyrics over in our V.O. booth. And the rest is history.

starstruck: You all do an amazing job on The Daily Show, and you obviously put in a lot of hard work. What is the hardest part of working on the show?

Steve Carell: By far doing the field pieces. Going out on the road for a few days at a time and really having no idea who you are going to be interviewing, what they're going to be like and knowing that you have to return to New York with some sort of story. It's the hardest part of the job but also the most fun and the most challenging.

plokijuhygtfrdeswaq: Do these people simply not realize what type of show TDS is, or think they will get special treatment? Why are they often surprised when they are insulted?

Steve Carell: I think in the old days people weren't aware of what the show was or of what the show's sensibilities were. But I think that has changed in the last year or so. More people are aware of the show, aware of what we're doing and I would say more people are in on the joke or know the joke but don't care. They don't care if they're part of the joke.

Frombo: Do you guys (the 'correspondents') come up with the ideas for the segments or is there a whole bunch of Yale writers doing brainstorming them?

Steve Carell: They scan the Internet, newspapers, magazines... Anything printed to track down the stories that we do. Once we're out in the field on the story everything is created by the correspondent with the help of their producer but nothing is scripted and yet, all is magical.

kbeth1221: Congratulations on upcoming fatherhood. Do you feel like your life so far has prepared you well for the challenges ahead or are you basically going to fly by the seat of your pants? :)

Steve Carell: Fly by the seat of my pants!

Steve Carell: There's no way of knowing whether you're prepared for fatherhood unless you've experienced it which I haven't so I don't know. I hope I'm ready...I think I'm ready. I know that I can't wait. Today is actually the due date.

LithiumBoy: Do you support marijuana legalization?

Steve Carell: *laughs* Wow. Sure, why not? I don't smoke marijuana personally but whatever floats your boat. For people with Glaucoma and Cancer - definitely Or for people who just want to do it to feel good. Or to people who think they could possibly some day have Glaucoma.

kbeth1221: Indecision 2000 ended up being such wonderful surrealism...except it was reality. Can you imagine something like that happening again?

Steve Carell: In other words it WAS surreality.

Steve Carell: Sure it could happen again, in "Indecision: 2004" - which we've already started working on. There will always be something funny about an election, we just lucked out because this one became so bizarre. It seemed to fall right into our hands and it was tailor made for our show.

CeruleanBlueSAF: How do you feel about TDS recently winning a peabody award for Indecision 2000 and Jon getting an interview on 60 Min.?

Steve Carell: Great! It's incredible! The one day that I hosted someone in the audience asked what the Peabody award was and I said "It's an award that's given for media excellence" and the audience erupted in laughter. It was all I could do to convince them that we were serious and were given an award for excellence in media. We kicked Tom Brokaw's ass--It was great. Everyone was so proud and amazed that our show - our little blip in the radar was recognized that way. And everyone's extremely cocky now and the work in suffering and the show is going down the crapper.

Lilac: Boxers or Briefs?

Steve Carell: Thong.

Steve Carell: Only thongsā€¦And only for a week at a time. *laughs* --they're best when they just disintegrate. *laughs*

SheDevil: Of the many comedians out there, who would you say you look up to?

Steve Carell: Steve Martin, John Cleese, Peter Sellers. Those are the ones that immediately come to mind.

Grovergal: Any movie deals in the works?

Steve Carell: Only in my mind.

Steve Carell: When they make a movie version of The Daily Show I hope to play Mo Rocca.

tams: Steve, are you planning on working on any side projects with Stephen Colbert?

Steve Carell: We've thought about it. We've kicked some idea around but nothing firm. I'd love to. He's one of my favorite people to work with. He's a very funny, talented man.

angela34goalie: When did you realize comedy was what you wanted to do for a living?

Steve Carell: When it came down between that and going to Law School. I thought it would be easier and more fun to attempt a career in comedy or acting of some sort.

Steve Carell: And I was wrong.

DarkAngel24: Have you ever done a piece that you personally found insulting or wrong?

Steve Carell: The piece that I described before on the Alien guy was one of my earlier pieces and I never felt good about that one. I just don't like making fun of people who are clearly unaware and more importantly have some sort of mental problem. I think that's wrong and I didn't feel good about that. I try now to put the impetus more on myself than on the subject. I'm willing to look like the fool, the idiot. i would rather that I look silly than the person I'm interviewing.

tooligan: Steve if for some horrible reason you left, what would you pursue next? Or would like to pursue?

Steve Carell: I'd like to work on my own project. My own show. Television of some sort. I really haven't thought too much about it because I'm having so much fun doing what I'm doing now.

Comedy Central Host: Thanks for joining us tonight, Steve. Any closing comments for the fans?

Steve Carell: I am incredulous that there is such a thing as a fan of Steve Carell; and I'm thankful, humbled and slightly humiliated by that.

Comedy Central Host: Don't forget to watch Steve Carell's special "Steve Carell Salutes Steve Carell Hosted by Steve Carell" next Monday, May 21st at 11PM ET only on Comedy Central.

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