On Saturday, the University Philosophical Society (the Phil) presented American comedian and television host Stephen Colbert with its Gold Medal of Honorary Patronage.
Phil President Annika Ramani opened the ceremony by introducing Colbert’s work on The Daily Show and The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, explaining that he was chosen to receive the honor on the basis of his outstanding work in “journalism, comedy, and global discourse.”
Colbert then went on to address the members of the Phil present in a speech where he discussed his love for the nation of Ireland, as a “100% Irish-American”, commenting that he continuously feels called to stay in Ireland whenever he visits, especially considering the current political climate of the US.
Colbert, in his comedic and touching address, said: “this weekend, I’ve been thinking about why my family left this beautiful country to come to my beautiful country”.
He commented on his love for America, and that he “will always hold tight to a belief in the ideals of America and the goodness of that creed”.
He continued that it is that “unkillable love of my country makes my government’s transparent turn towards authoritarianism that much more painful”.
Colbert commented that we realise how much we love something only when we are losing it, and that despite the political situation in America, he has never loved the country more.
Colbert asked the audience to indulge his view of Ireland as an outsider, and highlighted that one of his favourite things about the Irish is that they “can be sad and they can be funny, but best of all, they can be funny about being sad”.
Ramani went on to ask Colbert a series of questions about his Irish-American and Roman Catholic upbringing in South Carolina, and how that informed his career.
He discussed his journey to where he is now, as a late night talk show host, including his studies of philosophy, and acting during his university years.
Colbert also discussed his time at ‘The Second City, an improvisational comedy troupe based in Chicago, where he was among the likes of Chris Farley, Steve Carrell and Amy Sedaris.
Colbert spoke about grief and community, never shying away from sharing personal details and stories.
Holding the audience captive, at one point in his address, Colbert stood up to perform a comedy bit that he used to use during his time on tour with The Second City.
When asked to identify a positive effect that came out of the pandemic, Colbert commented that he felt it brought him closer to his guests and made him act more himself on air.
He highlighted that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, which has been running since 2015 when Colbert took over for previous host David Letterman, has become a space for community, togetherness and “someplace we can be together and come to an agreement that we’re not crazy.”
Previous recipients of the Gold Medal of Honorary Patronage from the Phil include Joe Biden, Martin Scorcese and Whoopi Goldberg.
