Photo of 20-year-old Stephen Colbert is making the internet weak in the knees

At 53, Stephen Colbert is a good looking man but fans of the Late Show host found themselves melting over a throwback photo of him that surfaced online on 16 July.

A Redditer by the name ArtieStation posted a photo of "Young Stephen Colbert", which claims to be from the year 1984 and shows the then-20-year-old sporting a thick head of hair, a beard and a twinkly smile. Going by his history, the talk show host would have been studying acting at Northwestern University at the time.

Fans of the CBS personality were quickly swooning over the pre-fame Colbert and could not get enough of his youthful charm. "Damn he fine. He's still a looker, but the "wild youth" look suits him," one user commented while another gushed over his "let-me-run-my-fingers-through-it hair".

"10/10 would let young Stephen Colbert ruin my life," another fan posted on Twitter.

Colbert is currently riding a wave of success as his show continues to rake in the rating numbers triggered by his commentary of President Donald Trump and the current US administration. This week, The Late Show is airing their Russia special based on the host's recent trip to the country.

"I recently met with a lot of Russians... I can't remember why. Maybe because I was in Russia," he said in a promo for the 18 July episode. "This week, we will be showing you one Russian field piece. I'm sorry meant to say two Russian field pieces. My lawyer is telling me its five Russian field pieces," he said, imitating Donald Trump Jr.

The Late Show airs on CBS on weeknights at 11.35pm ET/10.35pm CT.