Stephen Colbert, wife given 'servant leadership' awards by largest Episcopal seminary

Late-night talk show host Stephen Colbert and his wife, both of whom are Roman Catholic, received awards for servant leadership from a prominent Episcopalian seminary in Virginia earlier this month.

Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS) in Alexandria, which is the largest and second-oldest accredited seminary of The Episcopal Church, awarded Colbert and his wife, Evelyn McGee-Colbert, the Dean's Cross for Servant Leadership during a Feb. 6 ceremony, the seminary announced in a Wednesday press release.

The ceremony took place at The General Theological Seminary in New York City, where both Colbert and his wife lived in student housing earlier in their lives, and whose former dean officiated at their wedding.

Praising Colbert for "[using] satire to expose hypocrisy and hubris in contemporary politics and social issues," the seminary noted that his award citation read: "Your humor and genius are seasoned with passion and compassion. Courage and humility accompany you in every monologue. The Virginia Theological Seminary honors you with the Dean's Cross because you are a truth-telling storyteller who is living the well-formed life in Christ."

The seminary, which boasts alumni such as the bishop of Washington, Mariann Edgar Budde, also gave McGee-Colbert the award, claiming in her citation that her work "as a film producer, actress, arts advocate, theater professional, daughter, sister, wife, mother, and friend is a lasting testament to unity overcoming estrangement.”

The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, who serves as dean and president of VTS, claimed Colbert and his wife "have modeled a steady and gracious Christian witness amid challenging and often unforgiving circumstances."

"They remind us that faithfulness is not withdrawn from public life but practiced within it, with courage, humility, and perseverance," he added.

The Dean's Cross award, which is VTS's highest honor, was established in 2008 and includes former first lady Barbara Bush, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and presidential biographer Jon Meacham among its recipients.

Last July, Colbert announced that CBS was canceling "The Late Show" and would be taking it off the air this May after a 33-year run. The move came days after Colbert publicly criticized his network's parent company, Paramount Global, for settling with President Donald Trump for $16 million over a lawsuit claiming CBS News deceptively edited an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential campaign.

Colbert, whose stint on "The Late Show" since 2015 has been continuously marked by political humor opposing Trump, described the settlement as "a big fat bribe" that Paramount paid as it sought approval from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission for an $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media.

Colbert's "Late Show" predecessor, David Letterman, accused CBS of engaging in "pure cowardice" for canceling the show, though the CEOs of CBS and Paramount issued a joint statement at the time claiming the cancellation was "purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night."

Last June, Colbert said a female portrayal of Jesus is "long overdue" during an interview with Cynthia Erivo, a bisexual actress who starred as Jesus in "Jesus Christ Superstar" at the Hollywood Bowl.

"One of my favorite musicals of all time is 'Jesus Christ Superstar,'" Colbert told Erivo, who is deliberately bald. "I love that — and I'm so excited that in August, you're going to be playing Jesus in 'Jesus Christ Superstar' at the Hollywood Bowl."