Even after a decade of interviewing the world’s biggest stars, Stephen Colbert isn’t immune to getting starstruck.
Ahead of his highly anticipated “Late Show” finale, the comedy legend sat down with his late-night rivals on the latest “Strike Force Five” podcast to drop a bombshell confession. He admitted that one particular A-list guest was so “wildly attractive” on air, he literally forgot where to look.
The Interview That Broke His Composure
The hilarious confession came about when fellow late-night host Jimmy Kimmel asked a question, “Has there been a guest who was so attractive that you found it distracting?” Stephen Colbert didn’t hesitate to point back to 2016 when Oscar nominee Michelle Williams first visited the Late Show couch to promote her Broadway play, “Blackbird.”
“I’ll tell you who I did not expect to be wildly attracted to. Like, I didn’t know what to do with myself,” Colbert told his co-hosts.
“I did not know what to do with my eyeballs when Michelle Williams was on for the first time.”
The comedian revealed that her presence completely broke his usual television composure. “She sat down across from me and I went, ‘…what is wrong with my head? I better not look directly at her for this entire interview,'” he admitted. Gushing to Seth Meyers, he added, “There was something about her vibe, her face, everything. She’s sooo beautiful.”
A History of Late-Night Crushes
CBSWilliams isn’t the only star who has left the seasoned host fumbling for words. Reflecting on his long career, Colbert confessed to a few other major celebrity crushes, including a long-standing “Rachel Weisz problem” during his days on “The Daily Show.”
“When Rachel Weisz would be on, I would leave the building for fear I would say something stupid,” he joked. “I was afraid I would stand in the hallway and go, ‘Hi. You were great in The Constant Gardener.'”
Colbert also gave shoutouts to Rebecca Ferguson for “bringing game” and Andrew Garfield, noting that the “Spider-Man” actor is just undeniably attractive. Kimmel quickly reminded listeners of the time Colbert and Garfield shared an unexpected on-air kiss in 2017.
“We did get our fingers tangled in each other’s hair,” Colbert playfully recalled.
The End of an Era
GettyThese candid, behind-the-scenes secrets come at a highly emotional time for the host. Colbert is currently in the middle of his final stretch of episodes, with “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” officially scheduled to air its grand finale on Thursday, May 21, 2026.
The sign-off will mark the historic conclusion of CBS’s 33-year-long “Late Show” franchise.
Colbert’s final episodes are shaping up to be a nostalgic, star-studded victory lap filled with unexpected behind-the-scenes secrets. Be sure to tune into CBS next week to catch the final farewell. In the meantime, we will just be over here rewatching that 2016 Michelle Williams interview to see if we can spot the exact moment Colbert’s composure entirely crumbled.
