Stephen Colbert returned to late-night television Tuesday night, but this time he was on the other side of the desk. The former host of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! for an extended conversation with longtime friend Jimmy Kimmel, discussing everything from his Emmy wins and new beard to his upcoming Lord of the Rings movie and the fate of his collection of late-night suits.
Kimmel opened the conversation by asking Colbert whether he missed hosting late night following the end of The Late Show. Colbert quickly made it clear that he was enjoying his time away from the daily demands of television.
“Nope!” Colbert responded. He explained that leaving late night had given him the opportunity to step away from the constant cycle of following the news.
“I have an opportunity to not think about the news every day, and I took it,” he said.
The conversation then turned to the Emmys, where The Late Show won seven awards at Sunday’s ceremony. The wins came during what became the program’s final season, making the recognition particularly significant for Colbert and the show’s team.
Kimmel and Colbert also joked about their friendship and their interaction at the Emmy ceremony. The two recalled sharing a “beard-on-beard” kiss that was not captured by television cameras. The moment became part of a larger discussion about the increasingly uncertain landscape for late-night television.
At the Emmys, Colbert, Kimmel, Jon Stewart and John Oliver were photographed together at the same table. According to the pair’s recollection, a photographer jokingly referred to the bearded quartet as the “endangered table” before taking their picture, a reference to the challenges facing traditional late-night hosts.
Kimmel also revisited Colbert’s Emmy acceptance speech, teasing his friend for the heartfelt tribute he gave to his wife, Evie. Kimmel joked that Colbert’s emotional remarks had made the other late-night hosts look bad in comparison when it came to their own relationships.
Colbert, however, revealed that married life had its complications, particularly since he had grown a beard. He said Evie “hates” the beard and had warned him that growing one would affect their affection.
“She warned me, ‘If you grow a beard, the kiss count’s going to go way down,’” Colbert recalled.
He joked that their “smoochy time” had become considerably shorter. Colbert also revealed that he had promised his wife he would shave the beard if he won an Emmy.Kimmel immediately took advantage of the opportunity and asked whether Colbert would shave it on the show. Colbert agreed, while jokingly questioning exactly how much of his beard Kimmel expected him to remove.The conversation briefly turned toward CBS, the network that aired The Late Show. Kimmel asked whether anyone at the network had congratulated Colbert on the show’s Emmy success.
Colbert avoided giving a direct answer, responding with characteristic humor: “I am not familiar with that organization. Thank you for asking!”He did, however, share an amusing detail about what happened to his wardrobe after The Late Show ended. According to Colbert, CBS allowed him to keep his suits, leaving him with approximately 40 suits from his years hosting the program.
“I don’t know what to do with them,” he said, joking that anyone who had recently graduated from law school and needed a suit could get in touch through Kimmel.
Colbert also recalled a particularly memorable tan suit that he wore to the wedding of the daughter of his manager and Kimmel’s manager, James “Baby Doll” Dixon. The suit suffered an unfortunate fate when Kimmel spilled red wine on it.
Colbert had hoped to wear the suit to the opening of the Obama Library in Chicago in June. He wanted to use the opportunity to make a joke with former President Barack Obama by referencing the controversy surrounding Obama’s infamous tan suit. However, the wine stain left him uncertain about whether the suit could be restored in time.
Colbert’s post-Late Show life also includes his work on an upcoming Lord of the Rings film. He spoke about his experience working in New Zealand and recalled an amusing encounter with legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg.
After the opening of the Obama Library, Colbert said he had lunch with Spielberg, who tried to get him to reveal details about the upcoming film. Because Colbert had signed nondisclosure agreements, however, he was extremely cautious about what he could say.According to Colbert, Spielberg repeatedly encouraged him to reveal information about the project, pointing out that he knew Lord of the Rings filmmaker Peter Jackson.Rather than revealing anything confidential, Colbert jokingly invented an absurd plot detail.
“So, I just said, ‘Okay, so here’s what happens: Frodo teams up with a time-traveling dinosaur!’” Colbert recalled.
Spielberg reportedly assured him that he could speak freely, but Colbert remained too nervous to reveal anything. He later told his writing partner Philippa Boyens about the encounter, only to discover that she thought Spielberg might actually have had something useful to contribute.
“You idiot! He might have had a good idea, he’s Steven Spielberg!” Boyens told him, according to Colbert. Colbert then turned directly toward Spielberg with a joke of his own: “Listen, Steven, if you’re watching, I’m ready to take your call!”
While Colbert did not reveal any major new details about the film, he did offer some insight into his family’s connection to Tolkien’s world. His son Peter McGee, who is also involved in writing the project, apparently knows significantly more about Lord of the Rings lore than Colbert expected.
The film is tentatively titled The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past, and Colbert is co-writing the project with Boyens. Despite his involvement, he admitted that his son’s knowledge of the extensive Lord of the Rings mythology came as something of a surprise.The interview ended on a sentimental note when Colbert presented Kimmel with a piece of television history from his own career.
Colbert explained that during his days hosting The Colbert Report, Marvel gave him a replica of Captain America’s shield as a gift for being a “patriot.” The shield subsequently appeared on both The Colbert Report and The Late Show, becoming a familiar object associated with Colbert’s television career.
With his time on The Late Show now behind him, Colbert decided to pass the shield on to Kimmel. Kimmel appeared genuinely touched by the gesture and said he planned to permanently display the shield on the set of Jimmy Kimmel Live!
“I want to be able to see it when I’m doing the monologue every night,” Kimmel said, before adding a joking reference to the uncertain future of late-night television: “And so I’m going to put it right there for all time, or at least however much time we have left!”
The appearance offered a rare opportunity to see Colbert outside the familiar role of late-night host. Rather than spending the evening reacting to the day’s headlines, he reflected on his career, his Emmy-winning final season, his friendships with fellow hosts and the projects that are now occupying his time.
