Stephen Colbert returned to late night on Tuesday — but this time around, he found himself on the other side of the interview desk, fielding questions rather than asking them.
Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Colbert sat down for an expansive conversation covering the Emmys, his signature beard, playful kisses shared with Kimmel and his wife, his upcoming Lord of the Rings film, and whatever became of the dozens of suits from his Late Show tenure.
Kimmel opened by asking his longtime friend and former late-night competitor whether he missed the format. Colbert was quick to reply: “Nope! I will say, I have an opportunity to not think about the news every day, and I took it.” The two then discussed the seven wins The Late Show with Stephen Colbert earned at that Sunday’s Emmy Awards — a remarkable final-season haul. They also laughed about a “beard-on-beard” smooch they shared at the ceremony that eluded the TV cameras, and the so-called “endangered” status of late-night hosts, particularly in the wake of Colbert’s cancellation and the persistent rumors surrounding the future of Jimmy Kimmel Live!.
Left picture: Jimmy Kimmel, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and John Oliver. Right picture: Kimmel and Colbert smooch at the Emmys. Todd Williamson/NBC via Getty Images; Kevin Winter/Getty Images
The pair recounted how a photographer at the Emmy ceremony gathered the bearded foursome — Colbert, Kimmel, Jon Stewart, and John Oliver — for a group photo, then quipped that they were the “endangered table” before snapping the shot. After replaying Colbert’s Emmy acceptance speech, Kimmel good-naturedly ribbed his friend for dedicating the win to his wife Evie, leaving other late-night hosts’ own spouses suddenly feeling underappreciated. Colbert admitted the situation at home was not all smooth sailing, revealing that Evie “hates” his beard. “She warned me, ‘If you grow a beard, the kiss count’s going to go way down.'” He lamented that “smoochy time” had grown considerably shorter, adding that he had promised his wife he would shave the beard if he won an Emmy.
Seizing the moment, Kimmel asked whether Colbert would shave it off live on the show. Colbert replied: “All right, that’s fairly scandalous, but all right. From the neck up, right?”
Stephen Colbert and and Evie Colbert after the 2026 Emmy Awards. Monica Schipper/Getty Images
Kimmel pressed further about CBS, asking whether anyone from the network had congratulated their former star for the Emmy victories. “I am not familiar with that organization. Thank you for asking!” Colbert joked, deftly sidestepping the question. He did reveal that CBS had allowed him to keep his Late Show suits, which now number 40 in storage. “I don’t know what to do with them. If anyone just got out of law school and needs a suit, please call Jimmy, he’ll get the message to me,” he said.
Colbert then described the “beautiful tan suit” he had worn to the wedding of Kimmel’s manager James “Baby Doll” Dixon’s daughter, and how Kimmel had accidentally spilled red wine all over it. He confessed concern that he might never remove the stains in time to wear the suit to the opening of the Obama Library in Chicago the following June — an event at which he had hoped to elicit a laugh from the former president by referencing the notorious tan suit controversy.
Stephen Colbert and David Letterman look on during the dedication ceremony for the opening of the Barack Obama Presidential Center in John Lewis Plaza on June 18, 2026 in Chicago. Win McNamee/Getty Images
Colbert said that after the Obama Library opening he had lunch with Steven Spielberg, and the legendary director attempted to extract details about his upcoming Lord of the Rings film. “Spielberg says to me, ‘All right, tell me everything about the Lord of the Rings film. Tell me everything.’ And you sign all kinds of NDAs before you’re allowed anywhere near one of these sets, and he knows that, right? And you know, there are lawyers, and I’m new to all of this, so I was super nervous,” said Colbert.
“So I just said, ‘Okay, so here’s what happens: Frodo teams up with a time-traveling dinosaur!’ And he goes, ‘You can tell me, I’m Steven Spielberg, I know Peter Jackson.’ And I was terrified! I was afraid I would get in trouble, so I didn’t tell him anything. And then later I told our writing partner Philippa Boyens, and she goes, ‘You idiot! He might have had a good idea, he’s Steven Spielberg!'”
Colbert then joked, “Listen, Steven, if you’re watching, I’m ready to take your call!”
Reflecting on his time in New Zealand making the movie, Colbert did not offer any major updates on the film, but he revealed that his son Peter McGee, who is co-writing the tentatively titled The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past, knows considerably more Rings lore than he does — a fact that still surprised him.
Stephen Colbert on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ Disney/Randy Holmes
After finally shaving his beard, Colbert concluded the interview by presenting Kimmel with a memorable gift from his show’s history. He recounted how, during his days on The Colbert Report, Marvel had presented him with a replica of Captain America’s shield for being a “patriot.” The shield had appeared on both The Colbert Report and later The Late Show, but Colbert was now passing it along to Kimmel. A clearly moved Kimmel said he would permanently mount 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. “And so I’m going to put it right there for all time, or at least however much time we have left!”