Stephen Colbert Says Late Show Cancellation “Saved” His Life
Stephen Colbert admittedly wasn't ready for prime time, let alone late night, when he first crossed paths with Evelyn "Evie" McGee.
“We first met in college," the Northwestern alum recalled on SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Live in 2024. "A friend from Charleston introduced us at a party and I was chemically impaired and Evie was a distant frost queen on a mountain top.”
So, he didn't think much of it. As he put it, “The first time, I was like, ‘This is going nowhere.’ Literally, I think it was a 30-second conversation.”
Evie, who graduated from University of Virginia in 1985, wasn't blown away, either, remembering the 11-time Emmy winner as "an immature, skinny boy."
In fact, lightning didn't strike for the Charleston, S.C., natives until 1990, when they saw each other in the lobby of a theater in their hometown and, as Stephen recalled on Today in 2024, "A little voice in my head said, ‘There’s your wife. You’re going to marry her.'"
Meanwhile, Evie was "intrigued."
While her husband was "an incredibly romantic, idealistic person," she said on The Late Show last year on Valentine's Day, one of many appearances she's made since Stephen took over as host in 2015, she herself was "way too practical" to fall head over heels like that.
"I thought, 'He's really handsome, really smart, really attractive," Evie said, "but... I don't know!'"
Still, she quipped, "It worked out."
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But let's rewind to the night she and Stephen really met in May 1990. He was pondering a propose-or-we're-done ultimatum from his girlfriend at the time when his mother, Lorna Colbert, invited him to go to the theater.
"I looked at this very handsome man coming into the theater and my first thought is, ‘He loves his mother,'" Evie recalled on Today. "He had his mother on his arm."
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And yet months went by before they went on a date, Stephen taking Evie to dinner the day after Christmas when they were back in town visiting their families.
Though, first, he had a dream the night before about riding a horse bareback through the streets of Spain and playing life-size chess against a grand master named Ballotine.
"I wake up thinking that dream was about Evie McGee," Stephen recalled in a 2023 Late Show segment for their 30th anniversary, "and I don't know why."
When they opened their menus, the first item was ballotine of duck, which he promptly ordered.
"I told her the dream," Colbert said, "and she handled it."
Evie added, "I remember thinking, he's either really interesting, or really crazy."
After dinner, they walked all around the city, then had their first kiss on the front porch of Stephen's mom's house. They got engaged two years later, Stephen proposing a few days before Christmas intstead of the anniversary of their first date so that she'd have her ring in time for the most people to see it.
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They tied the knot on Oct. 10, 1993. Daughter Madeleine was born in 1995, followed by sons Peter in 1998 and John in 2002.
Stephen, who was still performing with Second City in Chicago when they swapped vows, recalled thinking, "Well, how good that I’m getting married. That there’ll be something constant in my life.”
But subsequent panic attacks—"How's that a wedding present for your wife?" he cracked on WTF With Marc Maron in 2019—led him to realize he always needed to be creating something new. And Evie remains here for it.
The couple have now been married for almost as long as The Late Show has been on the air. Unlike the Colberts' swoon-worthy romance, however, the CBS late night franchise is ending on May 21 following its cancellation after 33 years, 11 of them with Stephen in the hosting chair.
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Evie made her last Late Show appearance on May 20, taking her turn in the hosting chair for her husband's exit interview.
As she said in a rare interview with NJArts.com in 2021, “It’s fair to say I ground him and he does the same for me. Laughter is like a tonic…For us, that is such an important part of getting through the difficult things about life. You help each other laugh through it."
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But they didn't work together, professionally speaking, until 2020, when Evie served as his one-person camera crew as he continued to film The Late Show from their home in Charleston during the pandemic.
And when he won an Emmy in 2021 for the special Stephen Colbert's Election Night 2020, he said he'd be calling his wife to celebrate because "she's an absolute rock and I couldn't do this without her and I'm so glad—the only good thing that came out of COVID is that she got to be part of the show."
That winning collaboration also inspired them to partner on the 2024 cookbook Does This Taste Funny?, which Evie called "an interesting step" for them.
"We are very private," she told People when the book came out, "and we've sort of kept our family and our children and everything away from what you might want to call fame. But they're adults now, and they all willingly participated."
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She added, “It's a little peek into our family. It's not like we're going to be a reality TV show, but it's just a teeny little bit of hanging out with us in the kitchen.”
Though we'd obviously watch that show, and not least because Stephen is leaving late night.
It's obviously a bittersweet moment for the 62-year-old. But while The Late Show is ending, now the cerebral comedian will "enough time, enough energy to do other things that I want to do," he told People ahead of the finale. And that includes his gig developing a new Lord of the Rings movie for Peter Jackson.
And his material will always have an audience.
Evie's "the best laugh," Stephen said. "She's the laugh I want to get more than anybody else."
Read on for more secrets behind the most enduring celebrity marriages:
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Mariska Hargitay & Peter Hermann
"I never thought that I would laugh this much in my marriage. That is such a fundamental ingredient of who you are, this insistence on joy," Hermann detailed to his bride of their partnership of over 20 years in Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue's 2020 book What Makes a Marriage Last. "And I think what sustains our marriage is that I know you love me in spite of who I am, and that is the definition of grace."
Seeking out that happiness is key. Even after a particularly robust argument, "One of us will test the waters with a joke—about the very thing we were fighting about," Herman shared of life with the Law & Order: SVU star. "It's like one of us says, 'I'm not saying I was wrong, and I'm not still insisting I was entirely right, but can we at least inch our way back toward the place where we caught at stuff together?' Once that happens, it's a pretty good sign that things are on their way to getting patched up."
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Chip Gaines & Joanna Gaines
They've avoided need for any major renovation by sticking to the same advice they got in premarital counseling ahead of their 2003 vows. Even five kids in, Tuesday date nights are a must and they've held off on purchasing a TV, instead finding other ways to connect.
But if Chip were to offer any tip to follow, it'd be to pursue the person you love "like a hornet." Some two decades in, he said, he still feels like the guy hoping to get a second date. "I'm not saying she'd never cheat on me," he explained, "but it's not going to be because I never told her I loved her or because I didn't send her flowers or I forgot our anniversary."
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"My first piece of advice is not to take advice from celebrities," Bacon joked of his 36-year union. It's as succinct as their other go-to, "Keep the fights clean and the sex dirty," a phrase developed specifically to end any further chatter about their marriage.
Truthfully, though, they make it a point not to let arguments linger, rarely digging in for the sake of the victory. "Honestly, we don't like to fight, so when we actually are in an argument, we're both looking for a solution," The Closer actress explained to Thomas and Donahue. "For the most part we're struggling to get back to everything being okay, because it sucks to fight." Because, when it comes down to it, she continued, "There is no Plan B. No matter what, we want to work it out."
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Michael J. Fox & Tracy Pollan
Over 37 years into marriage, the actors have mastered the art of fighting fair. "Tracy and I don't pick scabs," explained the Family Ties alum. "In some marriages, people look at their partner and see vulnerability and they just can't help but go after that vulnerability, like it's a sport or something. We don't do that."
That's not to say they don't have arguments. "If I've said something stupid, I have the tendency to want to take it back and make it all okay," he said. "But that doesn't really work." Instead, he follows her lead and tries to give her space. She, in turn, offers up understanding: "Sometimes you just have to say to yourself, 'You know what? He said something schmucky and it made me feel bad. But he's a good person and I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt that he didn't realize that what he said hurt my feelings.'"
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"He still makes me laugh more than any human being," Curtis said about the Waiting for Guffman director on Today in December 2024, ahead of the couple's 40th wedding anniversary, adding jokingly, "and I'm sure there's something about me that he likes. I don't know what it is, but I'm sure there's something."
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"I think one of the things that has kept us together all of these years is that we both define relationships as something that's relatively indefinable," the How I Met Your Mother alum said. Through 21 years of career shifts (actor-chef Burtka released his cookbook Life Is a Party in 2019), parenting twins Gideon and Harper and dealing with tough times, "Marriage never stays the same," explained Harris. "When you have sex with the same person over and over, it gets redundant, and so you try different things. Then one day you don't like each other, and suddenly you're not attracted to each other, so you have to figure out how to be reattracted to them—but in a different way because you're aging."
Eventually, he continued, you find yourself more attracted to their soul. And then their body again. "It all keeps morphing," he noted. "So in a weird way, we keep falling in love with each other in different ways, over and over."
Appropriately, the comic actors believe their funniness gives them life. And not just in their 19-year union itself. "Whenever we have a good laugh," noted the Can You Ever Forgive Me? actress, "especially a crazy one, when you're like, Oh, my God, and you're almost dizzy—we always assign it a specific amount of time that it added to our lives. And I'm always adding it up. I'll say, 'Okay, that was like two months—I just got two more months to live!'"
They put a time limit on disagreements as well. Citing the oft-repeated don't go to bed angry rule, Falcone, said, "I tried it once, and I realized that in the morning I had forgotten what I was mad about. You're not getting any answers if you're parsing out an argument when everybody is tired and possibly had a drink or two. I've never had the thing where you're having an argument at ten o'clock at night, and then you say, 'Well, that was good. I'm glad we got to the bottom of that. We agree. Truce signed.'"
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Each having wed before they found their way to the other in 1995, they not only had to navigate a marriage, but life as step-parents to two children apiece. "There is no book that tells you how to do it, so the one thing I figured out right away is that they already have a mom—and it's not me. So what did they need from me?" the Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist actor recalled. "That's when I realized that everybody needs a cheerleader, right? There's never too many of those in your life, so that's what I'll be. I never set their boundaries, disciplined them, or tried to teach them right from wrong. They have parents who do that."
The Cheers alum agreed with her stance wholeheartedly. "I think that's really wise, to offer yourself as a friend," he said. "‘I'm not going to discipline you and I'm not going to judge you. What I'm going to do is hang out with you and be there for you.' And that's what you have to do: absolutely, genuinely be there."
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The moment same-sex civil unions were legalized in Britain, the music icon and the Canadian ad exec were joined together in a Dec. 21, 2005 ceremony. They repeated the process on the exact same day nine years later once they were able to legally wed. And yet the anniversary they recognize is their unexpected meeting during a 1993 weekend dinner party at the singer's Windsor, England flat, his friend having set the guest list.
Every Saturday, no matter where they are in the world, together or apart, the two pen a handwritten note to each other, by the authors' count, some 1,352 letters in all. "There's something very spiritual and real about handwriting," explains Furnish, "and the cards are a chance to reflect on the week that's passed and talk about the week that's coming up." Agreed the five-time Grammy winner, "It's part of the success, I think, of a lasting relationship. Communication is the most important thing."
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Having literally Secreted their 40-year marriage into existence ("Six months before I met him, I had these recurring dreams about this person I was going to marry,") they make sure their union has remained front-and-center even as their entire existence has shifted.
"Marriage is a priority for both of us. And that means that we act on that and refocus when we've lost sight of the ball," she said. If the surgeon could prescribe one piece of advice, it would be to place that bond above all else. "The bottom line is this: I would do anything for her. Climb any mountain, take any bullet—in the chest, too, by the way. I might do things that justifiably make her really angry at me, but I would never let anything block me from delivering my love to her," he swore.
If you appreciate how valuable marriage is to your long-term happiness, he continued, "You will never let anyone touch it."
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ABC News reporter Roberts isn't always one for chit-chat. "I don't like the check-in," she explaind. "If you're calling just to say, 'So, what's up?' no, I do not like that." Everyone's favorite TV weatherman, however, is a phone guy. And after years of chafing against his frequent calls, a pal proposed something that changed her stance. "
One friend said to me, 'Did you ever think that maybe he just feels comfortable when he hears your voice, because that tells him that all is right in the world?'" she recounted. "And I thought, 'That's very sweet. I'd never thought about it in that way. And if it means something to him, then it should mean something to me.'"
Now, she said, "I have learned to take a breath and say, 'Sweetie, I've got some stuff going on, but what's going on with you? Great. I'm glad to hear from you. Got to go. Talk to you later. Love you.' That makes all the difference in the world to him, and it doesn't kill me for two minutes to be nice and sweet." They celebrated their 29th anniversary in September 2024.
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The building blocks for their nearly 30-year union began back in their newlywed days, when any fight—one involved the Riverdale actor throwing the talk show host's ring out the window—felt like it could be it. "Early in a marriage, it's easy to let little things become big things—whether it's financial strain or career strain or you have kids and you're sleep-deprived," espoused the LIVE With Kelly and Ryan star. "But Mark taught me to walk away and take a breath. That's when you figure out that it's not a marriage-defining moment."
Some hard-earned wisdom, to be sure, but now the parents of three are reaping the benefits. "Anytime you see a couple who seems truly happy, you can bet they've gone through some crazy, crazy stuff together and they've survived," he stated. "That's something to be proud of."
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She's an introvert, she said, "maybe a step away from being a straight-up loner"; he's the ultimate extrovert "the mayor of everywhere," as he put it. She's a touch messy; he's "a little OCD" noted the Oscar winner. But, wed since 2003, they've long since learned to let the other do their thing.
That's the advice the How to Get Away With Murder lead said she gives to all her soon-to-be-wed friends. "Marriage does not start when you walk down the aisle," she shared. "Your marriage starts when you look over at a person who you love more than anything, and there's something about him—just one character trait that makes you say to yourself, 'Oh man, that's going to drive me crazy. I don't know if I can deal with this.' And then the next minute you say, 'But you know what? I love him.' That's when your marriage starts."
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You don't reach the 50-year mark in any relationship by letting disagreements drag on. Any time there's a blowup, noted the Grace and Frankie star, "Usually, I'm the one who apologizes. It's not hard because I love her and can't bear for her to feel lonely for even five minutes."
Even better is when she can avoid saying she's sorry to the writer altogether. Her top takeaway, she shared, "Remember, when you're angry at your partner and say something hurtful, you will be more angry at yourself later for having said hurtful things to the person you love. You'll feel angry twice. Not good for your blood pressure, and certainly not good for your relationship."
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Few things are more on brand than former New York State Supreme Court judge Jerry declaring their decades-long union works because he usually lets the Judge Judy icon win. But for his bride it's more about knowing you're not always going to like the final verdict. Their 12-year marriage dissolved in 1990 when he couldn't be the caretaker she needed following her father's death. Yet, when they got back together one year later and quickly remarried, she had no delusions that he was suddenly going to be the type to run the household or take the lead on birthday plans.
"Every relationship is different, but there is a common thread of unhappiness, and that unhappiness comes from trying to make another person different from who they are. You can try, but they're always going to resent it," she explained matter-of-factly. "I don't think you should marry anyone with the expectation of changing who they are."
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Daniel Dae Kim & Mia Kim
The Lost alum would be, well, lost without his longtime love, who he married in 1993. As he explained to E! News in April 2025, "My wife—being patient as I traipse around the world, going from job to job—she's kept our family stable. She's been fantastic."
Calling her a "very patient woman," the actor said his wife and their two sons keeps him "humble no matter what's happening."
"They shape my values," he added. "It's great to have that perspective and North Star."
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