Stephen Colbert, host of the always funny Colbert Report on Comedy Central and one who never shies away from expressing his deep Catholic faith (see some clips here), contributed to the It Gets Better campaign. Colbert, who rarely speaks out of character, gets serious for a few minutes in this video. He addresses the bullying of gay teens, but also the power of language and the ways that bullies lose that power once victims refuse to acknowledge the hurtful words.

Michael J. O’Loughlin is national correspondent at America and author of Hidden Mercy: AIDS, Catholics, and the Untold Stories of Compassion in the Face of Fear.