The 62-year-old late-night television personality has been working in comedy for more than four decades. In a recent interview with PEOPLE, Stephen looked back on his career as The Late Show approaches its conclusion. The comedian has helmed the CBS late-night program for 11 seasons after succeeding David Letterman in 2015. The show originally debuted in 1993 with David as its inaugural host.
This week marks the final week of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, with the series finale scheduled to air on Thursday, May. CBS has revealed the guest lineup and programming for the show’s closing week.
Stephen told the publication that the sole instance of “deep panic” regarding his decision to pursue comedy occurred following his 1993 marriage to Evelyn McGee, 62. The couple has three children together: Madeleine, 30, Peter, 28, and John, 24.
“I thought, ‘Oh, wait, I kind of want to have children and was this going to work out? I’ll never be able to afford a house or a family or a car. Am I good enough to do this?'” Stephen recalled, reports the Mirror US.
“He called me up and goes, ‘I hear you’re freaking out. Just lie down and give up if you feel like you have to give up, because we all love you. We’ll take care of you.’ I don’t know why, but it was exactly the right thing to say. This isn’t going to kill you.” Stephen continued.
Stephen’s journey into comedy began with improv at Northwestern University, which was a transition for the theater student who had originally been training as a dramatic actor.
Following his graduation, Stephen took a job at Second City’s box office before eventually touring with the company and serving as Steve Carell’s understudy. He also worked as a freelance writer on sketch comedy shows, including Exit 57 and Saturday Night Live.
In 1996, he spent six months as both a cast member and writer on The Dana Carvey Show before joining The Daily Show as a correspondent in 1997.
Stephen remained at The Daily Show until 2005, when he launched his own program, The Colbert Report — a spin-off in which he portrayed a fictional right-wing political pundit.
The show ran for nine seasons, from 2005 to 2014, after which Stephen replaced David Letterman as host of The Late Show in 2015. In July 2025, CBS announced it was pulling the plug on The Late Show, claiming financial reasons. The cancellation came just days after Stephen criticized the network’s parent company, Paramount, over a $16 million settlement with Trump.
At that juncture, Paramount was awaiting approval for a merger with Skydance. The merger needed the green light from Trump’s administration, particularly the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
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