Who Is Stephen Colbert's Wife? Meet Evelyn McGee-Colbert

Stephen Colbert's wife of more than 30 years, Evelyn McGee-Colbert hails from Charleston, S.C.

Born on July 23, 1963, McGee-Colbert double-majored in English and drama at the University of Virginia before attending the Circle in the Square Theatre & School in New York City.

Like Colbert, McGee-Colbert has established an empire in the entertainment industry.

She has acting credits in Nuptials, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Alpha House and In the Saddle. She previously worked with her husband in Strangers With Candy and made guest appearances on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.

In addition, McGee-Colbert works as an independent film producer at Colbert's production company, Spartina Productions, where she also serves as vice president. She is also the President Emeritus and a founding board member of the Montclair Film Board of Trustees and a board member of International African American Museum in Charleston.

She was appointed to New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s Restart and Recovery Commission in 2020, which has since been disbanded.

In 2024, the couple co-authored the cookbook, Does This Taste Funny?.

Colbert and McGee-Colbert did not realize they had grown up together — or that their families had known each other since childhood — until the late-night show host introduced himself to her.

They met when Colbert saw her in the theater lobby at a showing of the musical Hydrogen Jukebox.

"A little voice in my head said, 'There's your wife. You're going to marry her,'" he shared on Today.

Meanwhile, McGee-Colbert recalled, "I looked at this very handsome man coming into the theater and my first thought is, 'He loves his mother.' He had his mother on his arm."

Colbert and McGee-Colbert sealed their union with a kiss during a wedding ceremony in October 1993.

In 2023, they reminisced about their wedding day as they marked their anniversary during a special appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. At the time, the host asked his wife what she remembered about their special day.

"How nervous you were," she responded. "I wasn't sure he was going to make it."

Meanwhile, Colbert shared, "It didn't occur to me that I was getting married until a couple hours before I got to the church. It really sank in when I saw you in the wedding dress."

While on the red carpet at the Primetime Emmy Awards in January 2024, Colbert revealed his wife saved his life when he suffered a ruptured appendix and blood poisoning in 2023.

"Where's my wife? She's somewhere around here. She saved my life," he said of McGee-Colbert. "First, appendix. And I was in a lot of pain. It was the last show before we took a break. And I went, 'I'll just go do the show anyway. I'm sure we'll be fine.' By the time the show's over I had a 102.5 fever. I was in shock. I had blood poisoning."

He then warned, "Don't do it, kids. Don't broadcast with blood poisoning!"

McGee-Colbert realized over the phone how serious her husband's condition had become.

"No, she heard me because by the time I was calling her on the drive home, my teeth were chattering and my whole body was in spasms," Colbert said.

McGee-Colbert added, "I kept saying, 'What am I gonna do at home with you?' No, we need a hospital. We need medical care because I can't take care of that kind of pain.'"

Colbert and McGee-Colbert are parents to three children: Madeline, Peter and John.

"I didn't know what to expect," he said of being a father in an interview. "But I think the most surprising thing is that, while it's hard … even the hard parts are just beautiful."