Stephen Colbert comes from a big family! The comedian and veteran TV host grew up alongside multiple siblings, and his brothers and sisters have supported him in his entertainment career. However, what most fans don’t know is that Stephen lost two of his brothers and their late father, Dr. James Colbert Jr., in a plane crash, which the television star opened up about during a past interview with Anderson Cooper.
“I was struck with this realization that I had a gratitude for the pain of that grief,” Stephen told Anderson in 2019 while discussing the grief of losing someone. “It doesn’t take the pain away. It doesn’t make the grief less profound. In some ways, it makes it more profound because it allows you to look at it. It allows you to examine your grief in a way that is not like holding a red, hot ember in your hands, but rather seeing that pain as something that can warm you and light your knowledge of what other people might be going through, which is really just another way of saying there is a value to having experienced it.”
The entire Colbert family has been through so much together. Get to know all of Stephen’s brothers and sisters below.
How Many Siblings Does Stephen Colbert Have?
Stephen had 10 siblings in total: James III, Edward, Mary, William, Margaret, Thomas, John and Elizabeth. His late brothers were Paul and Peter.
The comedian has kept a close relationship with his siblings and credited Mary for inadvertently nudging him to accept the hosting gig on The Late Show after David Letterman stepped down in 2015.
“I said, ‘Well, Dave is stepping down.’ And she just burst into a huge smile, and I said, ‘OK, OK. Mary, if this show works out, CBS should send you a bouquet of flowers because I’m going to take the job because you just smiled,’” Stephen told People in May 2026. “So, her happiness for me getting the gig is the thing that really sealed it for me.”
Two of Stephen Colbert’s Brothers Died in a Plane Crash With Their Father
Unfortunately, Stephen’s brothers Paul and Peter died on September 11, 1974, with their father, Dr. James Colbert, in a plane crash. The trio was flying on flight 212 on Eastern Air Lines when a flight error caused the plane to crash near the airport in Charlotte, North Carolina. Seventy-two people in total died in the tragedy, including Paul, Peter and James.
Stephen was just 10 years old at the time his brothers and father died.
What Do Colbert’s Siblings Do for Work?
Unlike their younger brother, most of Stephen’s siblings maintain private lives. However, his sister Elizabeth ran for South Carolina’s 1st congressional district in 2013 as a Democrat. She lost the race to Republican Mark Sanford.
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