Stephen Colbert recently shaved off his beard on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to boost his “kiss count.” The moment came during his first late-night appearance since The Late Show ended on May 21. Colbert stopped by the late-night talk show after winning big at the 2026 Emmys.
Stephen Colbert shaves his beard off on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Stephen Colbert marked his September 15, 2026 visit to Jimmy Kimmel Live! by shaving off his beard during the show.
During his appearance, Colbert revealed that he had told his wife Evelyn “Evie” McGee-Colbert he would shave his beard if he won the Emmy for Outstanding Variety Series. This year, he achieved that when The Late Show with Stephen Colbert won in that category at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards. The former late night host also picked up five Creative Arts Emmys for writing, directing, technical direction, lighting and editing.
Colbert revealed, “Oh, I was so excited to win, because Evie hates my beard so much. The kiss count has gone way down.” He added, “She warned me, ‘If you grow a beard, kiss count’s gonna go way down.’ Smoochie time is much shorter than that because it’s prickly.”
The 62-year-old then joked that winning an Emmy was the only way his wife wouldn’t be able to deny him a kiss, because the cameras would be recording. He noted that he had also told her he would shave the beard off if he won. Hearing that, Kimmel volunteered to shave it for him live on the show.
The enthusiastic host handed him an electric shaver to do the honors. Stephen Colbert laughingly agreed, saying, “By the end of the podcast I would be like an eel.”
After that, taking the mirror from Kimmel, the comedian proceeded to shave off his beard while the audience cheered him on. Once he was done, Colbert hilariously quipped, “Time for smoochies!”
Adding to the spectacle, Jimmy Kimmel took out a mason jar tagged “Late Night Beard Hair,” saying that he is starting a collection of late-night hosts’ hair. Colbert responded with, “You could use that in the future to clone a whole new race of late-night hosts.”
