Did You Know an Alexandria Seminary Honored Stephen Colbert as a “Truth-Telling Storyteller” Just Months Before His Final Late Show Sign-Off?

ALEXANDRIA, VA – There’s an unexpected Alexandria connection to Stephen Colbert’s final night on television.

Tonight, Colbert signs off for the last time as host of The Late Show, ending one of the most influential — and often conversation-driving — runs in modern late-night television.

But just months ago, Alexandria’s Virginia Theological Seminary quietly honored Colbert and his wife, Evelyn McGee-Colbert, with one of its highest distinctions.

According to the official citation — later reported nationally by Episcopal News Service — Stephen Colbert and Evelyn McGee-Colbert received the Dean’s Cross for Servant Leadership, Virginia Theological Seminary’s highest honor.

This was not a symbolic photo-op award. The Dean’s Cross is one of the Seminary’s highest distinctions.

Established in 2008, the Dean’s Cross recognizes people who “strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being.” Recipients receive a handmade silver cross modeled after the one that once stood atop the Seminary’s historic 1881 chapel.

Past recipients include former First Lady Barbara Bush, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, historian Jon Meacham, and writer Wendell Berry. Now add the Colberts to that list.

Virginia Theological Seminary specifically recognized Colbert for his work “as a satirist who provokes critical thinking and inspires change.” Evelyn McGee-Colbert — an independent film producer and vice president of Spartina Productions — was honored separately for her work in the arts.

Married since 1993, the couple has three adult children and has spent decades balancing public careers, family life, and creative work.

While Stephen Colbert became one of America’s best-known television personalities, Evelyn built her own career behind the scenes in storytelling and production.

By the time the award was presented, CBS had already announced The Late Show would conclude in 2026, citing the changing economics of late-night television.

According to the citation, Colbert was honored for using satire to “expose hypocrisy and hubris in contemporary politics and social issues” while encouraging audiences “to act with moral clarity.”

Virginia Theological Seminary also praised him publicly for his work “as a satirist who provokes critical thinking,” and stressed his importance as a “truth-telling storyteller.” Because of the timing, that phrase now carries an unexpected local connection to his departure from late-night television.

One detail many people may have missed: The ceremony itself did not happen in Alexandria. According to Virginia Theological Seminary and Episcopal News Service, the award presentation took place on Feb. 6 at General Theological Seminary in New York City.

The location was chosen for a personal reason.

General Theological Seminary holds deep ties to Evelyn McGee-Colbert’s family. Her father, the Rev. Joseph McGee Jr., served there as an Episcopal priest and professor. Evelyn lived in seminary housing during part of her youth. And, according to Virginia Theological Seminary, Stephen Colbert himself spent time there while the couple were dating and even “lived there one summer.”

So while the ceremony happened in New York, the honor itself came from Alexandria.

And that may surprise some local residents.

Many Alexandrians drive past Virginia Theological Seminary along Quaker Lane every day without realizing the hilltop campus is home to one of the Episcopal Church’s most influential institutions.

Founded in 1823, Virginia Theological Seminary is considered the largest Episcopal seminary in the Anglican Communion and has educated more than a quarter of Episcopal clergy in the United States.

Its history reaches well beyond Alexandria. During the Civil War, Union troops converted the Seminary into a military hospital. More recently, the institution drew national attention for examining its own historical ties to slavery and launching reparative initiatives.

In other words, this is more than a familiar Alexandria landmark.

It is an institution with national reach and a long history of engagement with leadership, ethics, public life, and storytelling.

And no — Stephen Colbert himself is not Episcopalian. He is a practicing Roman Catholic who has spoken openly for years about grief, suffering, comedy, faith, and public responsibility.

Evelyn McGee-Colbert, meanwhile, comes from Episcopal roots and longstanding ties to theological education through her family.

Tonight, America watches him step away from the late-night desk.

And in Alexandria, the moment comes with an unexpected local connection — one tied to a Quaker Lane institution that saw storytelling, satire, and public conversation as work worth recognizing.