Stephen Colbert’s wife, Evelyn McGee-Colbert, has been his biggest supporter throughout his 11-season run at the helm of The Late Show.

In July 2025, CBS canceled The Late Show, which premiered in 1993 with original host David Letterman before Stephen took over in 2015. Over the years, fans have come to know and love Evelyn through her many appearances on the show, including the couple’s annual Mother’s Day segment, “First Drafts.”

“I just want to say thank you. It’s been fun. Thank you for letting me be part of this,” Evelyn told Stephen during her final Mother’s Day appearance on The Late Show in May 2026. Stephen is set to tape his final episode on May 21 before saying “goodnight, everybody” one last time.

Evelyn and Stephen, who grew up in the same South Carolina town, met at a musical in 1990 and married in October 1993 — years before the comedian became a household name. The couple share three children: Madeleine, Peter and John.

From their first meeting in a theater lobby to raising three children, here is everything to know about Stephen Colbert’s wife, Evelyn McGee-Colbert, and her relationship with the late-night host.

She and Stephen met in a theater lobby

Stephen was at a showing of the musical Hydrogen Jukebox when he saw Evelyn in the theater lobby. The Late Show host later revealed that he knew Evelyn was the one immediately, telling himself, “Her. That’s your wife. You’re going to marry her.”

Evelyn and Stephen saw each other again in a food line at the show’s afterparty. Stephen recalled thinking, “You will kick yourself for the rest of your life if you do not turn around and say hello to her.”

Once Stephen got the nerve to introduce himself, the two realized that they had actually grown up together. Their families knew each other when they were children, and Stephen later said he thought Evelyn was “just being nice to me because our families know each other.”

In May 2021, Evelyn told Montclair Local that Stephen caught her eye the night they met because of the way he treated his mother.

“He walked in with his mother on his arm. I was thinking, ‘That man loves his mother,’ ” she said.

She and Stephen co-founded a production company

In 1999, the couple launched the production company Spartina Industries, where Evelyn serves as vice president. She also executive-produced one of the company’s CBS projects, After Midnight, starring Taylor Tomlinson.

Beyond Spartina, Evelyn is president emeritus of the Montclair Film Board of Trustees and has picked up a few acting credits over the years. She appeared in the comedy series Strangers with Candy, which Stephen co-produced, as well as Alpha House.

She made The Late Show possible during the pandemic

Stephen was honored at the 2021 Emmy Awards for his 2020 special, “Stephen Colbert’s Election Night 2020.” While accepting the award for outstanding variety special, Stephen gave Evelyn a lot of credit for helping produce the show during the pandemic.

“I’m going to call my wife to celebrate as soon as I get through all this because she was a huge part of this past year and this night, too,” Stephen said. “You know, she’s an absolute rock, and I couldn’t do this without her, and I’m so glad — the only good thing that came out of COVID is that she got to be part of the show.”

She and Stephen have three children together

Stephen and Evelyn have three children together: daughter Madeline and sons Peter and John.

“Stephen and his family are very happily entrenched,” a neighborhood source told PEOPLE of the Colbert family in 2015. “You can always see him with his family. Family and community have always been important to him.”

She is very active in their New Jersey community

The couple are very active in their local community of Montclair, N.J. Evelyn has been involved with the Montclair Film Festival since its conception, with founder Bob Feinberg telling the Montclair Local that she was his “first call” when he had the idea to start a film festival. In the years since, both Stephen and Evelyn have played significant parts in garnering publicity and raising money for the annual event.

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the couple also raised funds for the New Jersey Arts and Culture Recovery Fund, which benefited the state’s economically devastated arts and cultural sector.

“Stephen and I know the value of a creative outlet — for ourselves, for our families, and for our community — and we can’t take for granted that this industry will survive without our help. Every contribution makes a difference,” Evelyn said in a statement.

She and Stephen wrote a cookbook

The couple released their joint cookbook, Does This Taste Funny?, in September 2024.

“It’s a little peek into our family,” Evelyn told PEOPLE. “It’s just a teeny little bit of hanging out with us in the kitchen.”

The cookbook celebrates the tastes of coastal South Carolina, where Stephen and Evelyn are both from, and includes recipes for dishes such as red rice and crab cakes.