As the curtains close on The Late Show on May 21, Stephen Colbert faces a bittersweet moment in his career. But even as one chapter ends, the most important story of his life—the love he shares with his wife, Evie McGee Colbert—continues to flourish after 33 years of marriage.

Stephen admits he wasn’t ready for prime-time television when he first met Evelyn “Evie” McGee. “We met in college,” the Northwestern alum recalled on SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Live in 2024. “A friend from Charleston introduced us at a party. I was drunk, and Evie… she was like an icy queen on a mountaintop.”

That first encounter left little impression. As Stephen confessed, “I thought, ‘This is going nowhere.’ It was literally a 30-second conversation.”

Evie, a 1985 University of Virginia graduate, wasn’t smitten either. She remembers the 11-time Emmy winner as “a skinny, immature boy.”

But fate had other plans. Their love truly sparked back home in Charleston, S.C., in 1990, when they crossed paths again in a theater lobby. Stephen told Today in 2024: “A small voice in my head said, ‘That’s your wife. You’re going to marry her.’” Meanwhile, Evie admits, “I was intrigued.”

Stephen’s deep romantic streak clashed amusingly with Evie’s grounded practicality. On The Late Show last Valentine’s Day, she reflected, “He’s charming, handsome, intelligent—but I was too realistic to just swoon.” Yet, she smiled, teasing, “But somehow, it all worked out.”

Their defining moment came in May 1990. Stephen had been wrestling with an ultimatum from a previous girlfriend when his mother, Lorna Colbert, invited him to the theater. “I saw a very handsome man walk in and thought, ‘He really loves his mom,’” Evie recalled. “He was with his mother.”

Months passed before they began dating, finally meeting for dinner after Christmas. Stephen’s subconscious seemed to speak to him in dreams: the night before, he dreamt of riding a restless horse through Spanish streets and playing life-size chess with a grandmaster named Ballotine. He awoke convinced, “This dream was about Evie McGee.”

At dinner, he ordered the duck ballotine he’d dreamed of and shared the dream with her. Stephen remembers, “She handled it beautifully.” Evie chuckled, “I thought, he’s either fascinating… or utterly insane.”

A walk through Charleston followed, and on the porch of Stephen’s mother, their first kiss sealed the beginning of a lifelong journey. Two years later, Stephen proposed a few days before Christmas so Evie could wear the ring at the most magical time.

They married on October 10, 1993. Their daughter Madeleine arrived in 1995, followed by sons Peter in 1998 and John in 2002. Stephen, then performing with Second City in Chicago, recalls, “Getting married was amazing. There was finally something stable in my life.”

Even when life threw panic and absurdity his way—“Was that my wedding gift to my wife?” he joked on WTF With Marc Maron in 2019—Evie remained his anchor.

Together, their marriage has lasted almost as long as The Late Show itself. Unlike the end of the beloved late-night program, which will air its final episode on May 21 after 33 years and 11 with Stephen at the helm, their love has never faltered.

Evie appeared on the show for the final time on May 20, taking part in Stephen’s farewell interview. She has previously told NJArts.com: “We’re each other’s anchor. Laughter is medicine… It’s what gets you through life’s challenges. You help each other find joy.”

Their professional collaboration has been rare but meaningful. In 2020, during the pandemic, Evie became a one-woman crew when Stephen filmed The Late Show from their Charleston home. When Stephen won the 2021 Emmy for Stephen Colbert’s Election Night 2020, he called her immediately, saying, “I couldn’t have done it without you. You’re my absolute rock.”

This bond extended to their cookbook, Does This Taste Funny? in 2024. “It was a fun step for both of us,” Evie told People. “We keep our family private, but now that the kids are grown, they joined us voluntarily.” She added, “This is just a small glimpse into our family life. No reality TV—just a taste of our world in the kitchen.”

Now, as Stephen closes the chapter on late-night television, he looks forward to other creative adventures, including a new Lord of the Rings project with Peter Jackson. Yet, above all else, his guiding light remains Evie.

“She’s the best laugh,” Stephen says softly. “She’s the one I want to hear laugh more than anyone else.”

Through decades of dreams, late-night jokes, and quiet moments at home, Stephen and Evie’s love story reminds us that some bonds are timeless—proving that while shows may end, true love never does.