Stephen Tyrone Colbert is an American comedian, writer, producer, actor, and television host whose career represents one of the most remarkable trajectories in the history of American satire.
He first gained national attention as a correspondent on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, then built a cultural institution with The Colbert Report (2005–2014), in which he played a satirical conservative news pundit so convincingly that some viewers took the character at face value. In 2015, he succeeded David Letterman as host of The Late Show on CBS, becoming one of the highest-paid and most-watched hosts in late-night television.
Colbert coined the word “truthiness“, named Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year in 2005, and spent two decades using sharp political satire to hold power to account.
In July 2025, CBS announced the cancellation of The Late Show effective May 2026, a decision many observers linked to Colbert’s pointed public criticism of CBS parent company Paramount Global over a reported legal settlement with President Donald Trump.
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Stephen Tyrone Colbert: History · Bio · Photo
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| Wiki Facts & About Data | |
| Full Name: | Stephen Tyrone Colbert |
| Born: | May 13, 1964 |
| Age: | 62 years old |
| Birthplace: | Washington, D.C., United States |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | Comedian, Television Host, Writer, Producer, Actor |
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) |
| Religion: | Roman Catholic |
| Parents: | James William Colbert Jr. (father), Lorna Colbert (mother) |
| Siblings: | Ten siblings (youngest of eleven children) |
| Spouse: | Evelyn McGee-Colbert (married 1993) |
| Children: | Three |
| Net Worth: | $75 million |
Early Life
Stephen Tyrone Colbert was born on May 13, 1964, in Washington, D.C., the youngest of eleven children born to James William Colbert Jr. and Lorna Colbert.
His father was an immunologist and medical school dean who served in administrative roles at several universities, including Yale University.
His parents were devout Roman Catholics who nonetheless placed a high value on intellectual inquiry and humor, an upbringing that would prove formative for Colbert’s distinctive brand of comedy.
On September 11, 1974, when Colbert was ten years old, his father and two of his brothers, Paul and Peter, died in the crash of Eastern Air Lines Flight 212 near Charlotte, North Carolina. Colbert has spoken publicly on numerous occasions about how profoundly that loss shaped him, noting that it produced in him both a radical acceptance of uncertainty and a deep appreciation for the absurd as a way of navigating grief.
He has described the experience as one that ultimately taught him not to fear loss, because the worst had already happened.
Colbert grew up primarily in Charleston, South Carolina. He was a shy, bookish child who found escape in fantasy novels, particularly J.R.R. Tolkien’s works.
He discovered improvisational comedy in high school and found that it gave him a way to connect with others through laughter. He also developed a lasting love of Catholicism, which has remained a meaningful part of his personal identity throughout his adult life.
Education
Stephen Colbert attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where he studied theatre.
He was a member of the university’s improvisational comedy group and was deeply influenced by the Second City tradition of performance.
He did not complete his degree, leaving Northwestern before graduating to pursue a career in comedy and performance in Chicago.
Career
Colbert’s professional career began in Chicago’s improvisational comedy scene in the early 1990s, where he performed and trained at Second City, the legendary comedy institution that had launched the careers of John Belushi, Bill Murray, and Tina Fey, among many others. It was there that he met Steve Carell and formed a lasting creative connection.
He moved to New York City to work as a writer and performer, contributing to early sketch comedy projects before landing a role as a correspondent on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Jon Stewart in 1997.
His work on The Daily Show established him as one of the sharpest political satirists of his generation. In 2005, Comedy Central gave him his own show, The Colbert Report, in which he played a fictional right-wing television pundit, pompous, self-assured, and relentlessly confident in his own wrongness.
The character was a sustained piece of performance art that ran for nine years, earned multiple Emmy nominations, and produced the coinage of “truthiness”, the quality of seeming true without reference to facts, evidence, or logic. The word was named Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year in 2005. The Colbert Report ended its run in December 2014.
In September 2015, Colbert debuted as the new host of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS, taking over from David Letterman. Dropping the pundit character, he approached the role as himself, warm, erudite, and still politically engaged.
His CBS salary grew from approximately $6 million per year at the start of his tenure to approximately $15 million per year following a contract renewal in 2019, making him one of the highest-paid hosts in late-night television. He hosted the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2017. In 2025, he appeared in the pickleball comedy special Pickled.
In July 2025, on the same week that Colbert called Paramount Global’s reported $16 million legal settlement with President Donald Trump a “big fat bribe” on air, CBS announced it was cancelling The Late Show effective May 2026, citing financial pressures in the late-night television landscape.
CBS executives described the decision as “purely financial,” but the timing sparked widespread speculation about political motivations, and Senator Elizabeth Warren called for a formal investigation into whether the cancellation constituted retaliation against a journalist.
Awards and Nominations
- Multiple Emmy Award nominations across The Colbert Report and The Late Show
- Three Peabody Awards — Won
- Grammy Award — Best Comedy Album — Nominations
- Television Academy Hall of Fame — Eligible career recognition
- Multiple Writers Guild of America Award nominations
Social Media
- X (Twitter): @StephenAtHome
Personal Life
Stephen Colbert married Evelyn McGee-Colbert in 1993 and the couple has three children together.
He has frequently spoken about his wife as his most important audience, noting that she is the laugh he most wants to earn. Evelyn has appeared as a guest on his show on multiple occasions. The family is based in New Jersey.
Colbert is a committed Roman Catholic who teaches Sunday school at his local church. He has spoken publicly about his faith on numerous occasions, discussing how it intersects with his political views and his personal understanding of suffering and grace.
He is also a well-known enthusiast of J.R.R. Tolkien’s works, having on multiple occasions displayed a level of knowledge about Middle-earth lore that surpassed even dedicated fans.
Net Worth
Stephen Colbert’s net worth is estimated at approximately $75 million.
His primary income streams include his CBS salary of approximately $15 million per year, earnings from The Colbert Report, book royalties, voice acting credits, Broadway appearances, and his production company Spartina Productions, which signed a deal with CBS in 2021.
He also earned income from merchandise, speaking engagements, and ancillary media projects throughout his career.
Works and Contributions
- The Daily Show with Jon Stewart — correspondent — 1997 to 2005
- The Colbert Report — host — 2005 to 2014 (Comedy Central)
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert — host — 2015 to 2026 (CBS)
- I Am America (And So Can You!) — book — 2007
- Monsters vs. Aliens — voice role — 2009
- Broadway: New York Philharmonic production of Company — 2011
- Pickled — comedy special — 2025
- Founder, Spartina Productions
Conclusion
Stephen Colbert’s place in the history of American satire is secure. For two decades he used comedy as a tool of political accountability, first through the extended character performance of The Colbert Report and then through the more direct voice of The Late Show.
His coining of “truthiness” gave the culture a word it badly needed at a moment when the gap between assertion and fact was becoming a defining feature of public life.
The circumstances surrounding the cancellation of The Late Show in 2025, following his public criticism of his employer’s conduct toward a sitting president, may yet prove to be the most revealing episode of his career, a testament to the risks that come with speaking plainly from a platform that belongs to someone else.
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