Summary

• Stephen Colbert shares a touching story about meeting a man who knew his parents, highlighting the deep connections he has with his family.
• Colbert's father and two brothers tragically died in a plane crash in 1974.
• Colbert's ability to find inspiration from his mother's strength and grace in the face of tragedy is evident in his storytelling and his outlook on life.

After following in the footsteps of the best talk show hosts of all time, Stephen Colbert has been able to become very wealthy. Since Colbert is one of the richest talk show hosts, he can afford to lead an incredible lifestyle full of amazing experiences.

During the filming of his talk show, Colbert was asked about the most incredible experience of his life. In response, Colbert went on to tell the stunning story of the craziest thing that had happened to him, which left his audience feeling amazed.

What Is The Craziest Thing That Ever Happened To Stephen Colbert?

Looking back on Stephen Colbert's career, there is no doubt the talk show host has led a truly incredible life. As a result, when a fan got a chance to ask Colbert a question, they narrowed it down for him. Instead of asking Colbert about the most remarkable thing that has ever happened to him, they asked about the craziest thing that happened to him on the streets of New York.

After reflecting for a moment, Colbert cracked a joke at his own expense about being out of touch. "It's been a long time since I walked the streets of New York." Ultimately, Colbert opted to widen the question by answering what the craziest thing to ever happen to him was.

When and where was Stephen Colbert born, according to Brittanica?

When Colbert's fan asked Colbert about the streets of New York, it was August 2016. At that time, it hadn't even been a year since Colbert first began hosting The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Given that Colbert had only recently taken over a show hosted by David Letterman, that easily could have been what he talked about. After all, Letterman is widely considered to be a talk show and television legend, so stepping in his shoes was a huge deal.

During Colbert's time in the public eye, he has repeatedly proven that he thinks about things at a deeper level. Only one notable example of that is the time that Colbert had a deep debate with Ricky Gervais about religion on his late-night show.

Given the way that Colbert appears to see the world at a deeper level, it makes sense that he didn't talk about anything related to show business. Instead, Colbert told a truly unexpected and touching story for anyone who knows about the host's tragic history.

As Colbert explained to his audience, he was in Arizona filming a piece for The Daily Show back when it was still hosted by Craig Kilborn. To film his assignment, Colbert was in a retirement community filming a skit.

"We were doing this scene called 'Old Cops' because it was people, average age of 85, who were riding with the police in the community. Gave them something to do, got them involved in the community, and they'd go out there and they'd ride around with the cops."

At one point in the filming of that skit, Colbert was waiting around for things to be ready for the next shot. At that moment, Colbert spotted an older man who was standing around just like he was, and he decided to talk with him.

As Colbert talked to the man, the talk show host proved that he is the kind of person who is interested in others. Colbert did this by asking the man about his history, and it turned out there was a truly incredible coincidence.

"We started talking, "Oh, where are you from? Where'd you go?' He mentioned that he, for some reason he mentioned that he went to Holy Cross and I said, 'When did you graduate from Holy Cross?' And he goes, '1942.'"

While telling his story, Colbert didn't explicitly state it, but it becomes clear his father graduated from Holy Cross in 1942. As a result, Colbert asked the random man he met in Arizona about his dad, and what he learned was mind-blowing.

"'Did you know Jim Colbert?' That's my dad. And he goes, 'Jim Colbert! Why we double-dated to the senior dance.' I said, 'That's my dad.' And he goes, 'I know your mom. We were floormates. We lived on the same floor. Your dad was a smart guy.'"

Colbert continued, "And he goes, 'Do you have your dad's yearbook?' I said, 'I don't actually. I don't think anybody does' He goes, 'Come on in.' So he came in, went in his garage, went through some stuff, found the yearbook, took out an exacto knife, and cut out my dad's page of his senior class yearbook and gave it to me. And now it's framed on the wall in my office upstairs. Pretty nice, huh?"

As Colbert told that stunning story, his studio audience had huge reactions to several moments. Early on, the audience sounded amazed to learn the man went to a dance with Colbert's dad and knew his mom. However, the audience had their biggest reaction of shock and delight upon learning the man gave Colbert a page from the yearbook.

What Happened To Stephen Colbert's Dad?

When Stephen Colbert told his story about meeting a man who was friends with his parents, it was an amazing tale from every angle. After all, Colbert was born in Washington, D.C. and he randomly met a man he had a unique bond with, in Arizona of all places.

Given how amazing Colbert's story was, it makes sense that his audience had such a big reaction. It also stands to reason that many of his audience members who heard his story that night didn't know about what happened to Colbert's dad. However, when people learn about the tragic tale of what happened to Colbert's father, the story takes on a much larger magnitude.

On September 11, 1974, Colbert's father and two of his brothers were on a short flight from Charleston to Charlotte, North Carolina. Tragically for Colbert's family and everyone on board, the plane they were traveling on crashed.

According to a Biography article about the catastrophic crash, it is believed the plane's crew lost track of the altitude. As a result, the plane crashed into the ground roughly three miles from the runway it was supposed to arrive at.

Immediately upon that crash, 72 of the 83 people onboard lost their lives. In the days that followed, another passenger lost their life. Tragically for Stephen Colbert, his father and his two brothers were among the victims of that terrible crash.

During a 2015 GQ interview, Stephen Colbert revealed how his mom inspired him to not be bitter about losing his dad and brothers. "And it was just me and Mom for a long time. And by her example am I not bitter. By her example. She was not. Broken, yes. Bitter, no.”

At the time that Colbert lost three of the people who were the closest to him, the talk show host was only ten years old. With all that in mind, Colbert's story about running into someone who knew his father takes on much more importance.