Stephen Colbert’s offscreen life from family tragedy to health battles
American funnyman and sharp-witted political pundit Stephen Colbert has dropped the bombshell that his wildly popular The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is bowing out, reports the Express.
In an emotional moment on last night’s show (July 17), Colbert broke the news to his audience, revealing: “Before we start the show, I want to let you know something I found out just last night, next year, will be our last season. The network will be ending The Late Show in May.”
The studio erupted with boos and jeers from the crowd as they processed the announcement.
Colbert empathised with the audience, saying: “Yeah, I share your feelings. It’s not just the end of our show, but it’s the end of The Late Show on CBS. I’m not being replaced, this is all just going away.”
He took a moment to express his gratitude, adding: “And I do want to say that the folks at CBS have been great partners.”
“I’m so grateful to The Tiffany Network for giving me this chair and this beautiful theatre to call home.
“And, of course, I’m grateful to you the audience, who have joined us every night in here, out there, all around the world, Mr and Mrs America and all the ships at sea.”
As he spoke, Colbert’s voice wavered with emotion, and he seemed to struggle to keep his composure.
He continued with heartfelt thanks: “I’m grateful to share the stage with this band, these artists over here. And I am extraordinarily, deeply grateful to the 200 people who work here.
“We get to do this show for each other, each day, every day and I’ve had the pleasure and responsibility of sharing what we do with you every day in front of the camera for the past 10 years, and let me tell you, it is a fantastic job.
“I wish somebody else was getting it and it’s a job that I’m looking forward to doing with this usual gang of idiots for another 10 months. It’s going to be fun, y’all ready? Okay, that’s all I wanted to say.”
Fans are eager to delve into the life of Stephen Colbert, who boasts an impressive TV career with gigs on The Dana Carvey Show, Strangers with Candy, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and his current stint on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert since 2015.
Stephen Colbert’s life-changing plane crash
Away from the limelight, the comedian, writer, and TV host has led a life marked by both success and sorrow.
Born in 1964, Colbert was the youngest of 10 siblings in a bustling household. But at just 10 years old, he faced a devastating loss that would forever alter his path.
His father, James William Colbert, Jr. , a doctor and academic, along with two of his brothers, Paul and Peter, perished in a plane crash in 1974.
The ill-fated journey from Charleston to Charlotte, North Carolina ended tragically as the plane crashed into a cornfield-covered hillside, mere miles from the runway.
Foggy conditions contributed to the tragedy, but a report from the National Transportation Safety Board pointed to a more alarming cause: “The flight crew’s lack of altitude awareness at critical points during the approach due to poor cockpit discipline in that the crew did not follow prescribed procedure, as per Biography.
The tragic plane crash that claimed the lives of 69 people, with only 13 survivors emerging from the wreckage.
In a heartfelt conversation with Anderson Cooper, Colbert shared: “I was personally shattered and then you reform yourself in this quiet, grieving world that was created in the house.”
He reflected on the aftermath, saying, “My mother had me to take care of, which I think was sort of a gift for her, a sense of purpose at that point. But I also had her to take care of. It became a very quiet house, very dark, and ordinary concerns of childhood kind of disappeared.”
Colbert further opened up to Cooper about the profound lessons of loss: “What do you get from loss? You get awareness of other people’s loss, which allows you to connect with that other person, which allows you to love more deeply and to understand what it’s like to be a human being if it’s true that all humans suffer.”
During his youth, Colbert turned away from academic pursuits despite his intelligence, rebelling against the norms of schooling.
He sought refuge in the fantastical worlds of J. R.R. Tolkien and Dungeons & Dragons, finding solace amidst the pages and gameplay.
His faith in Catholicism also provided a sanctuary as he grappled with the enormity of his family’s tragedy.
It wasn’t until his college years that Colbert truly confronted the magnitude of his loss, confessing to Oprah Winfrey in 2012 that he was in “bad shape” and overwhelmed by sadness.
Beyond the escapism of science fiction and fantasy, Colbert discovered a fervent love for improvisation and theatre, igniting a spark within him that would eventually lead to his successful career.
Stephen Colbert’s journey from Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia to Northwestern University in Chicago marked a pivotal chapter in his life, where he studied performing arts and met future collaborators like Amy Sedaris.
Stephen Colbert’s health issues
The beloved comedian has faced more than his fair share of challenges, including a series of health scares that have tested his resilience.
Colbert endured the agony of a burst appendix, soldiering on to record multiple episodes of his show despite the excruciating pain.
Post-surgery, he was prescribed strong painkillers and humorously recounted his experiences and the hallucinations they induced.
He also battles benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), a condition causing dizziness and balance issues, which he manages with regular exercises.
Stephen Colbert’s tribute to his late mother
In a poignant moment on The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert honoured his late mother Lorna Elizabeth Colbert (née Tuck), who passed away in 2013 at the age of 92.
During his heartfelt tribute, he reflected: “She knew more than her share of tragedy, losing her brother and her husband and three of her sons.”
He continued, “But her love for her family and her faith in God somehow gave her the strength not only to go on but to love life without bitterness and instil in all of us a gratitude for every day we have together.
“And I know it may sound greedy to want more days with a person who lived so long, but the fact that my mother was 92 does not diminish, it only magnifies, the enormity of the room whose door has now quietly shut.”
He also shared his thoughts on grief, describing it as its “own thing” and emphasised the importance of coming to terms with its “presence”.
“If you try to ignore it, it will be like a wolf at your door,” he remarked, as noted by Psychology Today.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is set to continue delighting audiences on CBS until May 2026.
