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Top 10 Interesting Facts about Stephen Colbert

Stephen Tyrone Colbert is an author, comedian and American actor, who is well known for his political satire and humour. Colbert, who initially studied Philosophy at Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, was a little uncertain about college. He applied to Hampden-Sydney because one of his friends had been accepted there.

While studying at this university, Colbert continued to take part in school plays and later transferred to Northwestern University to study performance. His first professional performance was with the Second City comedy improv troupe, where he was Steve Carell鈥檚 understudy.

Thereafter he worked on several television projects before establishing his show, The Colbert Report in 2005. During the first episode, Colbert coined the phrase 鈥榯ruthiness鈥� which means an unchanging truth from a gut feeling and not from any facts. The American Dialect Society later made truthiness the 2005 word of the year.

Born on 13^th May 1964 in Washington D.C., Colbert began his career after graduating with a theatre degree from Northwestern University in Illinois in 1986. The host of The Colbert Report and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Colbert made his debut on 鈥楾he Late Show鈥� in 2015 after hosting The Colbert Report for about 10 years.

Interviewing guests who included entertainers, newsmakers and several politicians, it is said that his political satire significantly increased The Late Show鈥檚 viewership. Colbert鈥檚 book on satire, titled, 鈥業 am America (And So Can You), which was published in 2007 was number one for fourteen weeks on The New York Times bestseller list.

Below are 10 interesting facts on Stephen Colbert.

1. Controversial dinner speech at the White House

While speaking at a White House Correspondents Dinner in 2006, Colbert delivered a speech that is till today both controversial and divisive.

Standing just a few feet away from then-President George W. Bush, Colbert insulted the president in a manner that seemed like he was complimenting him.

Depending on who you spoke to, the political parties in the house at the time of the dinner thought the speech was either pathetic and rude or funny and fearless.

2. Colbert married Evelyn McGee, a fellow actor

Stephen Colbert with his wife Evelyn McGee Colbert. Photo by Amanda Cogdon/

Colbert and his wife Evelyn McGee have been married since 1993. They lived a few blocks from each other in the same town in South Carolina but didn鈥檛 know each other then.

Colbert met his wife at the opera much later in their adult life. The daughter of Joseph McGee, a prominent litigator, Evelyn McGee-Colbert graduated from the University of Virginia College of Arts and Sciences with a major in English and Drama.

She is a producer and actor known for shows such as Alpha House and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug in which Colbert also appeared.

3. Colbert and Evelyn鈥檚 three Children

Stephen Colbert with his sons Peter and John. Photo by David Shankbone/

Colbert and his wife have three children, two sons named Peter and John and a daughter named Madeline.

Despite allowing his children to watch TV, Colbert never allowed them to watch 鈥楾he Colbert Report鈥� as he believes children don鈥檛 understand sarcasm and wouldn鈥檛 realize he was playing a character role on TV.

4. Colbert suppressed his Southern accent

Stephen Colbert with Ethan Hawke. Photo by Montclair Film/

To show that a person was less intelligent, a TV show would give the character a Southern accent.

To avoid the stereotype, Colbert suppressed his Southern accent at a young age. He did this by teaching himself how to speak like a TV news anchor.

5. As a young child Colbert suffered ear damage

As a young child, Colbert wanted to be a Marine Biologist. Unfortunately, he injured his eardrum and the surgery intended to repair it caused further damage to his inner ear.

The severely perforated eardrum left Colbert鈥檚  deaf in his right ear. As a result, he could not scuba dive or become a Marine Biologist.

6. Colbert’s awards for The Colbert Report

Stephen Colbert at the Peabody Award in 2012. Photo by Peabody Awards/

In addition to his Peabody award, Colbert has received three Emmy awards, two of which were for writing on 鈥楾he Colbert Report.鈥�

7. Chicago improv and sketch theatre alumni

Colbert was a member of 鈥楾he Second City where he met Paul Dinello and Amy Sedaris.

Together, they created 鈥楨xit 57鈥� in 1995 and 鈥楽trangers with Candy鈥� in 1999, in which he appeared alongside his wife who played the role of his mother in an episode of the show.

8. Colbert was one of the Ambiguously Gay Duo

Stephen Colbert at the signing of his book I am America (So Can You). Photo by David Shankbone/

Colbert and Robert Smigel wrote this animated short series. It originally aired on the Dana Carrey show.

In the show Colbert is the voice of Ace while Steve Carrel is the voice of Gary. Colbert and Smigel later wrote the script for an action film that never made it to the big screen.

9. Colbert does not pronounce the letter 鈥楾鈥� in his name

First Lady Michelle Obama participates in an interview with Stephen Colbert during a taping of 鈥淭he Colbert Report,鈥� with military families of troops deployed to Afghanistan as part of the audience, at the Colbert Report Studio in New York, N.Y., April 11, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)/

Although the Colbert family pronounces the letter 鈥楾鈥� in Colbert, Stephen Colbert opted to go with the French pronunciation after a conversation with an astronaut on a plane.

Now pronouncing his name as Col-Bear, Colbert says that when people don鈥檛 like what he says on the show he can say that was a comment by Col-bear and he is Colbert.

10. Colbert’s Tribute to his late mother

Aged 92 years, Colbert鈥檚 mother died on June 12, 2013, after a period of illness. Crediting his mother for his choice in career, Colbert gave her a tribute on his show.

He described her as a fun person who taught them how to do stage falls by falling on the kitchen floor. He added that they were the light of her life and she let them know it till the end.

The death of Colbert鈥檚 father and two elder brothers drove him to bury himself in books. His father, James William Colbert Jr., who was an immunologist and dean at Yale University medical school and Colbert鈥檚 elder brothers Peter and Paul, died in a plane crash in 1974.

They were on their way to New Milford Connecticut to enrol the two boys at the Cantebury school. A devout Catholic who teaches Sunday school whenever possible, Colbert who is the last born in a family of 11.

He is also an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church Monastery. With this ordination, Colbert once married a couple on his show.