Stephen Colbert celebrated his 62nd birthday on May 13 and likely marked the milestone surrounded by his three children – Madeleine, Peter, and John – whom he shared with his wife, Evelyn McGee-Colbert.
"As my father-in-law says, 'I have no worries about the future, having seen these children.' And I feel the same way," Stephen told Rolling Stone in 2018. "I am extremely hopeful there is a large group of young people who are better than I am. Better than the generation that came before them. It gives me hope."
It seems Stephen's kids have taken a likening to the limelight, each carving out respected careers within the entertainment industry. However, Stephen was not keen on his kids watching The Colbert Report during their upbringing. "I want them to know me as Dad," he said in his biography. "While I’m insincere on the show, my character is very sincere. I look like their dad, I sound like their dad, I shout more than their dad, but I say things I don’t mean, and a child isn’t going to know that’s a character."
© Getty ImagesHe continued: "Then they’re going to think I don’t mean it when I say I’m proud of them or I love them, and I’m going to tuck them into bed one night and say I love you, and they’ll say, that’s very good, Dad, that’s very dry."
In tribute to the comedian's milestone day, HELLO! takes a closer look at his family life and explores what each of his children are up to today.
Madeleine Colbert
© Variety via Getty ImagesStephen and Evelyn welcomed their first child, Madeleine, in 1995. After graduating from Yale, Madeleine worked as a journalist for the likes of The Atlantic and TIME, covering topics such as national news, legal affairs, gender, and sexuality. She currently works as an associate producer at 60 Minutes.
Despite never having worked with her father, Madeleine was credited as a makeup artist for an episode of The Late Show when Stephen filmed at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Peter Colbert
© Getty ImagesStephen and Evelyn's second child Peter, was born in 1998. Peter starred alongside his father and his younger brother, John, in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug as hooded Laketown spies in 2013.
Peter went on to write and direct the short At the Crossroads Down Yonder and later worked as a co-executive producer and director of the comedy series Where's Noah?. He has experimented with projects in the sound department, such as for the film Those Who Move Mountains in 2020, alongside acting roles. He is set to star in the upcoming film The Virgin.
John Colbert
© FilmMagicThe couple welcomed their youngest child, John, in 2002. Since then, he has pursued a budding acting career, appearing in projects such as Cardboard by Your Name while largely maintaining a low public profile.
"No one tells you anything about being a parent," Stephen previously told Buzzfeed. "You just can't explain what it's like to be a parent until you are a parent. It's like, poetry might get at it, but it's such an experience."
"I didn't know what to expect. But I think the most surprising thing is that … even the hard parts are just beautiful," he added.
