Meet Stephen Colbert's 3 Kids
Among the likes of Jimmy Fallon and Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert is another comedian who transitioned into a late-night talk show host who lives a lavish life. From his humble beginnings as Steve Carrell's understudy, Colbert used comedy to launch himself into stardom. By 1997, he regularly appeared on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show." Through his successful news correspondent sketches, Colbert gained massive notoriety from his spin-off "The Colbert Report," which helped him replace David Letterman as the host of "The Late Show" in 2015.
In addition to his satirical wit and political commentary, Stephen is also a family man. When Stephen first met his wife, Evelyn McGee, in 1990, he wasted no time tying the knot and becoming the father of Madeleine, Peter, and John Colbert. Paired alongside illustrated biographies and podcast appearances, Colbert appears to be a doting parent. According to a 2014 interview with BuzzFeed, this role wouldn't come easy. He had to learn what it meant to be a father. "You just can't explain what it's like to be a parent until you are a parent. ... I didn't know what to expect," he said. "But I think the most surprising thing is that, while it's hard — it's hard — but even the hard parts are just beautiful." As of 2024, the trio are all grown up with prominent careers ranging from filmmaking to journalism. Despite his prior hardships with fatherhood, it's safe to say that Stephen has done a fine job raising his three beautiful children.
Madeleine Colbert's babysitter was a well-known actor
In September 1995, Stephen Colbert and Evelyn McGee-Colbert introduced their first child, Madeleine Colbert, who was named after her maternal grandmother. As the eldest, Madeleine experienced being an only child for a brief period. Since her birth was before Stephen's big break, balancing parenthood with his career was difficult for the aspiring entertainer. In addition to Evelyn having her own interests outside of being a stay at home mom, having a babysitter was in their best interest. Luckily, his acting ventures allowed him to find a suitable candidate who just happened to be on the brink of a blossoming acting career.
After the success of "Exit 57," Stephen guest starred in one episode of the comedy series "Spin City" titled "The Competition." There, the comedian would meet Jennifer Garner, who — at the time — was working her way toward fame. With Stephen in need of a babysitter and Garner in need of a job, Stephen allowed Garner to babysit for his 1-year-old daughter while Evelyn took Italian classes on Monday nights. This would carry on until Garner decided to move to Los Angeles for more acting opportunities. During her 2017 appearance on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert," Garner spoke candidly about her babysitting gig and how impressionable Madeleine was at 1. "I just remember your gorgeous little girl. She was such a peanut," she exclaimed. "She was really smart. She was very verbal ... and she was precocious and adorable."
She inherited her father's sense of humor at a young age
Despite Stephen Colbert's knowledgeable outlook on complicated topics such as politics and religion, his personality is oftentimes whimsical. Given his career, it's obvious why this is the case. From facing personal hardships at a young age, Stephen's apparent approach to life is usually from a humorous perspective. In 2014, he suggested to BuzzFeed that he prided himself on using humor as a coping mechanism — especially as a parent. "There's nothing too serious that I can't make a joke out of it. There's no crisis too crazy that I wouldn't want to make a joke out of it," he stated. "No, I get stopped from making the joke halfway through once members of my family realize I'm about to make a joke about something that's very important to them. But I'm just trying to lighten the mood, folks!"
At an early age, it appeared that Madeleine Colbert had inherited this quality. In his 2011 biography, "And Nothing But the Truthiness: The Rise (and Further Rise)," Stephen spoke in depth about how he and Madeleine would bounce jokes off of each other. "For a solid year, Madeleine and I made up jokes on the spot before she went to bed," he recalled. "One of her favorites was, 'What did the cow say?' 'What?' 'Ruff.' 'Why?' 'He had a dog in his mouth.'"
Madeleine Colbert once called out her father's parenting methods
As stated before, Stephen Colbert wasn't gifted guidelines on how to be a parent. This became apparent following the birth of his other two children, Peter and John Colbert. With a household of children, Stephen and Evelyn McGee-Colbert seemingly had difficulties balancing their work life with being parents.
While shedding light on this through a Q&A segment on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" in 2023, the comedian described his disastrous attempt at being a stay-at-home dad. After coming home to a disgruntled Evelyn, Stephen suggested she have a night out while he watched then-6-year-old Madeleine, 3-year-old Peter, and infant John. His short-lived confidence turned to doubtfulness as he realized this might be harder than he imagined.
As a result, Stephen started yelling at his children, which made Madeleine question his parenting methods. "My daughter ... she runs up to her bedroom, and I follow her up there, and Peter, my middle son, follows me. I'm holding the baby in my arms, and she turns to me from her bed, she goes like, 'Why are you yelling at us?'" he recalled. "I said, 'Because it is my job as a father to discipline you!' ... and I said, 'So, I have to teach you!' She pauses for a moment, and she looks up at me from her tear-stained pillow, and she says, 'This is how you teach children? By making us cry?'"
She is a highly successful journalist
Along with inheriting Stephen Colbert's sense of humor, Madeleine Colbert developed a strong interest in politics. Which caused her to take a different career path than her father. While she won't necessarily blast the Supreme Court during a televised segment as Stephen did in 2022, she is finding ways to express her political views through forms of writing. After attending Yale, Madeleine went on to become a highly successful journalist under the name Madeleine Carlisle.
In a 2024 interview with Ryan Teague Beckwith, Madeleine stated that she first found success in 2018. "My first professional byline was an article I wrote as a politics fellow for The Atlantic in 2018," she said. "The story examined how Trump's offshore drilling plans impacted congressional races along the Eastern Seaboard." After her extensive work with The Atlantic, Madeleine also contributed her talents to Time magazine, writing pieces whose subjects included Trump's tax fraud trial and — ironically enough — the status of Roe v. Wade. As of 2024 — according to her social media accounts — she is an associate producer of CBS News' "60 Minutes." Through this, we've seen her help tackle similar topics, one of which is the dark history of horse racing. Given her talents as a journalist, it's interesting to see her trajectory and how it differs from her father's claim to fame. Nonetheless, it is also inspiring to see how successful this path has been for the notable writer.
Thanks to Peter Colbert, viewing commercials was prohibited in his household
In 1998, Stephen Colbert and Evelyn McGee-Colbert introduced their middle child, Peter Colbert. As a young child, Peter seemingly developed a specific habit that caused Stephen to implement a strict rule regarding his children's TV consumption. Despite Stephen's admission that he used television to keep his children quiet, there was one aspect of this that caused him a great deal of stress.
According to his 2011 biography "And Nothing But the Truthiness: The Rise (and Further Rise)," Madeleine, Peter, and John were allowed to watch 30 minutes of television during the week. Because Stephen and Evelyn wanted extra alone time to catch up on sleep, those reins were less strict on the weekends. This, however, came with an additional requirement because Peter developed a bothersome habit. When commercials came on, Peter would nag his parents for the products he saw on the television. To help cut down on the number of times he'd do this, Stephen forced Madeleine to mute commercials whenever they came on so that Peter wouldn't be enticed to have whatever was being promoted. "I've instituted a new rule that when commercials come on, my daughter has to press the mute button," he wrote. "Otherwise, Peter falls into a trance: 'I want that. I want that. I hear, and I obey.'"
John Colbert's father cherished his preadolescent years
As a new father, Stephen Colbert enjoyed conversing with his mini-mes. This was apparent through his relationship with his firstborn, Madeleine Colbert because he would constantly share lighthearted banter with her. As his family grew, this meant he'd have more participants to converse with. However, this would remain short lived because they'd eventually grow up and seem to distance themselves from their father — like most teenagers tend to do. With Madeleine and Peter Colbert all grown up, Stephen told BuzzFeed that he was enjoying his relationship with his youngest son before he became a teenager.
In 2002, Stephen and Evelyn McGee-Colbert would introduce John Colbert to their ever-growing family. By 2014, Stephen suggested he was the only child out of the three who still had a strong connection with him. Aside from his apparent giddiness, Stephen jokingly expressed fears of John becoming a teenager because it meant their close-knit relationship would change. "The 12-year-old still seems to like me," he quipped. "That's nice! I think all three of them like me, but I've got two teenagers and a 12-year-old. He's within months of being a teenager. Then it's all over. Then my wife and I might as well live alone."
Peter and John Colbert made their acting debut alongside their parents in 2013
In addition to his deep interest in politics and religion, Stephen Colbert is a dedicated fan of J.R.R Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" series. As a seasoned actor — having credited roles in "The Love Guru," "Company," and more — one would assume that one of Stephen's goals would be to star in one of their films. Luckily, in 2013, the comedian booked a role in "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug."
Despite the role's brevity, the gig quickly became a family affair (excluding one member). During his 2013 appearance on "The Late Show With David Letterman," Stephen announced that he'd be in "The Hobbit" with his wife, Evelyn McGee-Colbert, and his two sons, Peter and John Colbert. Though he'd quip about having a breakout role, he suggested that viewers will see his family in the movie for a short scene playing Laketown spies. "Evidently, I and my wife, and my two boys were invited down to New Zealand to play around with the folks in 'The Hobbit,' by Peter Jackson," he stated. "We went down there, and we're in a scene in Laketown." While this served as a great opportunity for Stephen, this was also Peter and John's acting debut. Given their careers, this was potentially the catalyst that cemented their interest in film.
Madeleine and John Colbert attended Yale University
As an expressive child with complex interests, Stephen Colbert spent his post-high-school life chasing a career in comedy. During this journey, he pursued his higher education at Northwestern University's School of Communication. From successfully attaining a bachelor's degree to becoming a late-night talk show host, one would assume that Stephen has stressed the importance of education to his ever-growing children, which doesn't come as a surprise since his father, James William Colbert Jr., was an immunologist who studied and practiced at Yale University. While Madeleine and John Colbert have yet to follow their father into late-night talk shows, they did follow in their grandfather's footsteps when it came to their education.
In 2014, Madeleine attended Yale University. As a college student, she seemingly doubled down on her writing passions as she spent time writing for their publication, The Politic. By 2018, Madeleine would graduate with a political science and English degree, which she's using as an associate producer for "60 Minutes." John carried on their family's generational connection to the Ivy League college in 2021. Although the pandemic prolonged his journey into college, John successfully enrolled and is looking to graduate in 2025. According to the Yale College Arts website, John performed in several productions there, including "The Government Inspector" and "Hand to God."
Both Peter and John Colbert are actively working in the entertainment industry
Given Stephen Colbert's career as an entertainer, it's almost expected for his children to develop an interest in show business. With Madeleine Colbert conquering her journalistic goals in "60 Minutes," it was only a matter of time for Peter and John Colbert to figure out their own. Instead of journalism, however, Peter and John are seemingly working on breaking into the film industry in their own right.
While Stephen isn't one to divulge personal information about their passions and interests, the former "Daily Show" correspondent told Tom Hanks during his 2023 appearance on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" that he'd always advise his kids to be "enthusiastic and competent" when it came to chasing their dreams. After appearing in a brief scene in "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug," Peter and John Colbert have since developed an interest in film, which they've been pursuing enthusiastically. According to Peter's IMDb page, Peter has directed the short film "At the Crossroads Down Yonder" and an episode of a comedy series, "Where's Noah?" Alternatively, John has focused on acting. Aside from his roles in several student plays at Yale, John has starred in a handful of short comedies like "Egg Evan," "Real Detective," "The Spockpocalypse," and "Cardboard by Your Name."
Their 10th birthdays were milestones for their father
Whether it was losing his mother in 2013 or losing his close — yet unlikely — friend Toby Keith in 2024, Stephen Colbert has learned to cope with loss. Given his knowledgeable outlook on life, Stephen's first experience with death seemingly shaped him into the man he is today. Coming from a family of 13, Stephen's family life was relatively normal until his father and his brothers' passing in a fatal plane crash in 1974. Stephen was only 10 when this occurred, and it severely affected not only his childhood but also his outlook on fatherhood.
Looking back on this loss during his 2022 appearance on Anderson Cooper's podcast "All There Is," Stephen suggested there was a point when he feared he would die before Madeleine, Peter, and John Colbert reached 10. As each of their 10th birthdays approached, however, Stephen felt relieved knowing he'd be around for his children for years to come. "Since my father and my brothers died when I was 10, when my kids were younger, it would hit me at unexpected moments," he said. "In moments of great happiness, like even just my daughter like jumping off the swing at the right point and landing and being happy about it and running over and saying, 'Did you see Daddy?' and, you know, giving me a hug. That moment of absolutely inexpressible transporting joy. And she's 6, let's say, in this memory. I'd go like, 'Oh, isn't this great? Four more years!'"
All three Colbert kids contributed to their father's late-night show during the pandemic
2020 proved an uncertain time for entertainers. Because everybody had to follow strict quarantine guidelines, Stephen Colbert continued his weekly talk show, "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert," from his home office. While COVID-19 later caused him to unexpectedly stop live tapings in 2022, it also allowed him to connect even more with his family.
Alongside his core production team, Stephen had his wife, Evelyn McGee-Colbert, and his three children, Madeleine, Peter, and John Colbert, help to produce the show in 2020. In his interview with Terry Gross on "Fresh Air", Stephen suggested that Peter and John helped manage the camera, lights, and sound before their mother took over. While the pandemic wasn't an ideal situation publicly, it allowed Stephen to spend time with his children — even if it took them away from their responsibilities as growing adults. "[I]t's been intimate, and wonderful, and something I would never [have] experienced in another way and, in a very valuable way ... erased the line between my public life and my private life in a way that I think has — I don't know — maybe made them understand more what my life is like and made me appreciate that I don't have to live such an insular public life separated from my private life, which is actually kind of helpful to the kind of show that I do."