CBSs Late Show host Stephen Colbert has struggled with the legality of reviving his popular conservative-pundit character, Stephen Colbert, because that persona originally appeared on Comedy Central.

Its a bit confusing, but whenever the real Colbert has played a conservative-pundit character with the same name on The Late Show dressed exactly like his previous Comedy Central character this new pundit has claimed to be someone else. (Are you still with us?)

With the ongoing confusion, it was a welcome surprise that this new conservative-pundit Stephen Colbert made another appearance on The Late Show Thursday night and finally explained the distinction a bit more clearly.

If I remember correctly, youre not the character I played for 10 years on another show, the CBS host asked the new character played by himself.

No, no, how many times do I have to scream that at the lawyers. Thats my identical twin cousin, Stephen Colbert, the very, very different conservative pundit Colbert responded to Colbert.

This pundit further explained, Im Stephen Colbert. Its easy to tell us apart he has a birthmark that looks like Mary-Kate; mine looks like Ashley.