It was an event for the ages: a fairytale setting packed with celebrity guests, flowing Champagne and a superstar bride.
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Colberts Hidden Struggles: Behind the Smiles
It was an event for the ages: a fairytale setting packed with celebrity guests, flowing Champagne and a superstar bride.But when Stephen Colbert was pictured le...
But when was pictured leaving and 's Madison Square Garden wedding on Saturday, he looked somber.
Gone was the perky Late Show host who entertained millions for over a decade.
Back in June, it was the same story: with the comedian, 62, looking somewhat weary at the opening ceremony for 's new presidential library in .
And days before that, Colbert had appeared to force a smile as he posed with his wife Evelyn McGee at at a music event in .
So why the long face?
Stephen Colbert is said to be burnt out after The Late Show was axed on May 21
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Colbert, 62, looked somber as he left Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding in the early hours on Saturday
Colbert is said to be burnt out and reeling after The Late Show wrapped in May amid a who celebrated Colbert's final episode by declaring: 'Thank goodness he's finally gone!'
'Stephen is so burned out from being on The Late Show for 11 seasons, it took a lot out of him,' an insider said. 'Going from working 12-hour days on The Late Show to having a slower lifestyle is such a major change, so he is doing all the right things.
'He is coming down from the pressure of being on a late show. So, he has been taking time for himself.'
But the shift is not easy.
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'Can you blame him? He worked his butt off, only to be torn down at every turn,' the insider said. 'He had little support, and his humiliation was on an international level for the entire world to see. Now it's so quiet.'
Fans were left stunned when last summer that CBS would not be renewing his contract, and that they would end the entire late-night franchise after 44 years on the air. Colbert had been at the helm since September 2015.
Days earlier, Colbert seemed to force a smile when posing with his wife Evelyn McGee at the Montclair Film's Visionary Tribute in New York City
And in mid June, the comedian looked tired when he stopped by the dedication ceremony for the opening of the Barack Obama Presidential Center in Chicago
'He is coming down from the pressure of being on a late show. So, he has been taking time for himself,' one insider said, adding that he has been struggling with fatigue
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One of his famous friends has been helping direct him toward passion projects. 'David Letterman has been a guide for him these days,' said a separate source (pictured on June 18)
'Stephen is so burned out from being on The Late Show for 11 seasons, it took a lot out of him,' a source shared (pictured with Jennifer Aniston in September 2025)
The insider added that Colbert is 'taking some time to decompress before making his next big move.'
'Rather than rushing into another nightly program, he's weighing a number of opportunities, including another television show, a podcast, and other projects, knowing he's in a strong position when it comes to future negotiations,' the source said.
'For now, though, he wants to step out of the spotlight. The thinking is simple: if he disappears for a while, his eventual return will feel like an event. He's even considered timing a major comeback around the period when Donald Trump is no longer in office, allowing him to return with fresh material and a new perspective.
'He's still adjusting to the reality that a job he expected to have for many more years came to an end. That doesn't mean he's disappearing.'
