During his February 4 monologue on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the late-night host Stephen Colbert wasted no time addressing his name’s emergence in the latest batch of Epstein files released on January 31 by the Department of Justice.
Colbert is among other elite names that recently appeared in the files, including Bill Gates, Donald Trump, Jon Stewart, and J.K. Rowling.
Highlights
- Stephen Colbert mocked his appearance in the Epstein files, specifically roasting the late predator for comparing himself to Gandalf in private emails.
- The host joked that Epstein's associate praising his "funny" segments was a "promotional" win, displaying a mock Times Square billboard with the quote.
- Colbert questioned why the thousands of references to Donald Trump in the three-million-page dump haven't remained the primary headline.
“Stephen was red hot tonight in his monologue. Go, Stephen, go!” wrote one user.
Stephen Colbert addressed his name appearing in the Epstein files
Image credits: CBS
During the episode, Colbert admitted to viewers that he searched his own name in the newly released Epstein files.
“I got a little curious,” he said. “And unfortunately, I am.”
He explained that his name appeared in an old email sent to Lesley Groff, Epstein’s longtime executive assistant. The message came from one of Epstein’s associates, who recommended that Epstein watch Colbert’s breakdown of Super PACs from The Colbert Report.
Image credits: CBS
The email read, “Nobody explains it better than Stephen Colbert — it’s really funny — think Jeffrey will enjoy watching!”
The 61-year-old host immediately turned the moment into satire.
“Well, there’s no such thing as bad publicity,” he joked, as a mock Times Square billboard appeared behind him featuring the quote as a fake promotional slogan for his show.
Things took a sharper turn when Colbert revealed that those emails also referenced characters from The Lord of the Rings.
Colbert escalated his response with a brutal Tolkien-themed takedown of Epstein
Image credits: https://www.justice.gov/epstein
Image credits: CBS
He revealed that in the same set of emails, Epstein’s correspondence name-dropped Bilbo Baggins, a character from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings series. And in a separate email, Epstein even compared himself to Gandalf.
Colbert didn’t hold back and brutally roasted the predator.
Image credits: CBS
“That is disgusting,” he said, before adding, “In the immortal words of Gandalf the Grey: Eat s*, you d*ad pervert.”
The audience erupted as Colbert further noted, “It sounds prettier in Elvish.”
His remark echoed the tone many late-night hosts have adopted while covering the Epstein document dump, using humor to strip the late billionaire of power while acknowledging his heinous crimes.
Elsewhere in the monologue, Colbert also turned his focus to the appearance of Trump’s and Elon Musk’s names in the Epstein files
Image credits: CBS
Image credits: Getty/Davidoff Studios Photography
Beyond the jokes, Colbert used his monologue to criticize how the Epstein files have been handled.
He cited reports that showed Donald Trump was referenced thousands of times across the documents, questioning why the revelations had not dominated the news.
“Obviously, this is the biggest story imaginable,” he said. “But for some reason, it isn’t.”
Image credits: Getty/Patrick McMullan
He also called out Elon Musk, arguing that the files paint a disturbing picture of how wealth and influence can shield people from accountability.
“These are allegations of some of the cruelest, most depraved crimes against women and kids,” Colbert said, adding that millions of pages were released without triggering meaningful legal action.
“You have millions of pages,” he said, “And you don’t want to investigate any further?”
Besides Colbert, several other talk show hosts’ names have appeared in the Epstein files
Image credits: CBS
Colbert’s revelation followed a similar moment involving Jon Stewart, whose name also appeared in Epstein emails.
As previously reported by Bored Panda, Stewart explained on The Daily Show that his name surfaced in a 2015 exchange between Epstein and producer Barry Josephson.
The email referenced the idea of a comedy project narrated by “somebody like Jon Stewart.”
Image credits: CBS
Image credits: gblstsone
While he mocked the phrasing, Stewart also addressed the seriousness of the lack of accountability surrounding Epstein’s associates.
“I’m just not sure anybody is going to be held accountable,” Stewart said, calling the document releases “Groundhog Day.”
Jimmy Kimmel also criticized the DOJ for failing to redact victims’ names while shielding alleged perpetrators properly.
Despite their names appearing in the documents, none of the late-night hosts have been accused of wrongdoing.
"I was curious about the email where Bilbo Baggins was mentioned," wrote one netizen
