Jump directly to the Content

Stephen Colbert: Faithful and Grateful

And other items of interest from ministry and culture.
Stephen Colbert: Faithful and Grateful

Comedy often emerges from lives marked by tragedy, and new Late Show host Stephen Colbert is no exception. In a cover story for GQ, Joel Lovell described Colbert's difficult childhood—growing up the youngest of eleven kids, losing his father and two closest brothers in a car crash when he was 10, struggling academically—all preceded his impressive climb to comedic stardom.

Colbert cites his faith (he's a practicing Catholic) as an expression of the gratitude and joy that's contributed to his success. "I'm very grateful to be alive," Colbert says. "And so that impulse to be grateful, wants an object. That object I call God."

His relentless gratitude, in fact, is what helped him overcome his family's loss. Quoting a letter from J.R.R. Tolkien, Colbert asks, "'What punishments of God are not gifts?' … It would be ungrateful not to take everything with gratitude." That dogged pursuit of joy has made him one of the most successful innovators and leaders in American entertainment. ...

March
Support Our Work

Subscribe to CT for less than $4.25/month

Homepage Subscription Panel

Read These Next

Related
Sara Groves: The Contemplative Work of the Artist
Sara Groves: The Contemplative Work of the Artist
Spiritual insight comes the same way that creative insight does.
From the Magazine
The Evil Ideas Behind October 7
The Evil Ideas Behind October 7
The Hamas attacks in Israel have a grotesque ideological history and deserve unflinching moral judgment.
Editor's Pick
What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imagination
What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imagination
Understanding God and our world needs more than bare reason and experience.
close