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Virginia Theological Seminary awards Stephen Colbert, Evelyn McGee-Colbert Dean’s Cross for Servant Leadership

February 13, 2026

[Episcopal News Service] Virginia Theology Seminary awarded the Dean’s Cross for Servant Leadership to comedian Stephen Colbert and his wife, film producer Evelyn McGee-Colbert. “Stephen Colbert and Evelyn McGee-Colbert have modeled a steady and gracious Christian witness amid challenging and often unforgiving circumstances,” the Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, dean and president of Virginia Theological Seminary, said in a Feb. 11 press release. “They remind us that faithfulness is not withdrawn from public life but practiced within it, with courage, humility and perseverance.” Colbert is best known as the host of The Late Show and The Colbert Report. He also previously worked as a correspondent on the satirical news series, The Daily Show. Colbert uses humor and satire to critique politics and social issues. The citation for Colbert said: “Your humor and genius are seasoned with passion and compassion. Courage and humility accompany you in every monologue. The Virginia Theological Seminary honors you with the Dean’s Cross because you are a truth-telling storyteller who is living the well-formed life in Christ.” “[Colbert] consistently challenges audiences to think critically and to act with moral clarity,” Virginia Theological Seminary said in the press release.  For example, Colbert doesn’t shy from expressing his faith and parodying Catholic doctrine on The Late Show. A popular recurring segment on the show is “Midnight Confessions,” where, from a confessional, Colbert jokingly “confesses” to absurd, petty and embarrassing “sins” many people do privately. He replaced David Letterman to host CBS’ The Late Show in 2015. In July 2025, CBS announced that it had canceled The Late Show, with the final episode scheduled to air in May. CBS said the decision was “purely financial” despite the show having the highest-rated program in its time slot. Critics and some politicians have speculated that the decision was political. McGee-Colbert is an arts advocate who serves as a founding member and president of the Board of Trustees for Montclair Film, a New Jersey-based nonprofit that organizes the annual Montclair Film Festival. The citation for McGee-Colbert said: “Your life as a film producer, actress, arts advocate, theater professional, daughter, sister, wife, mother and friend is a lasting testament to unity overcoming estrangement.” The Dean’s Cross, the highest honor the seminary confers, was established in 2008 to recognize “outstanding leaders who embody the baptismal vows to strive for justice and peace among all people and to respect the dignity of every human being.” Recipients receive a certificate and a handmade silver cross that models the one that stood on the steeple of Virginia Theological Seminary’s 1881 chapel. Previous Dean’s Cross recipients include former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, novelist Wendell Berry, former first lady Barbara Bush and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham. Markham presented the Dean’s Cross for Servant Leadership to Colbert and McGee-Colbert on Feb. 6 at a solemn evensong at General Theological Seminary in New York. Colbert and McGee-Colbert’s connection to The Episcopal Church precedes each receiving the Dean’s Cross. Colbert graduated from the Porter-Gaud School, an Episcopal-affiliated college preparatory school in Charleston, South Carolina. McGee-Colbert lived in student housing at General Theological Seminary for several years, and Colbert resided there for a summer. While residing at General Theological Seminary, they befriended the seminary then-dean and president, the Very Rev. James Corner Fenhagen, who officiated at their marriage blessing in 1993. His son, Jim Fenhagen, read the lessons during the Feb. 6 evensong service.