11 Things You Didn't Know About Stephen Colbert
4. He Never Let His Kids Watch His Show
Stephen and his wife Evelyn have three kids, Madeleine, Peter, and John. However, as exciting as it might be for a kid to see their dad on TV, Colbert has said that he prefers his children not watch The Colbert Report. Why? Well, since Colbert is in character and doing a satirical performance, much of the Comedy Central program involved him saying ridiculous things he didn't mean. He worried his children would have a hard time understanding that.
"Kids can't understand irony or sarcasm, and I don't want them to perceive me as insincere," Colbert told 60 Minutes, "Because one night, I'll be putting them to bed and I'll say...'I love you, honey.' And they'll say, 'I get it. Very dry, Dad. That's good stuff.'" That definitely makes sense, and considering even some grown adults didn't get that Colbert was doing a bit at first, it's safe to assume the satire would be lost on children, and that would seriously warp their perception of their father and his beliefs. Let's face it: Stephen Colbert the character would be an awful dad.
Luckily, his kids are now older, and Colbert will be acting as himself on The Late Show, so it's safe to assume they can finally tune in to see their dad now.