Comedian and political commentator Stephen Colbert got to speak about his faith on the "Late Show," which he hosts since David Letterman left the show in 2015, when guest Grammy Award singer Dua Lipa asked him its connection to comedy.
Church Leaders reported that Colbert and Lipa have finished discussing about the singer being called the "Break Out Pop Star of the Pandemic," her collaboration with Elton John, her new album "Future Nostalgia," and her 2022 world tour during the show. Colbert then asked Lipa if there was anything she'd like to ask him, to which the singer responded with a question on the former's faith.
"So I think something that your viewers connect with in your comedy and your hosting skills, especially in the past few years, is how open and honest and authentic you are about the role your faith plays in your life. And I was wondering...does your faith and your comedy ever overlap, and does one ever win out?" Lipa asked.
Colbert was quick to respond pointing to Jesus' "sense of humor" and went on to provide the connection of "love and sacrifice" that is "always connected" and something he is still trying to achieve in his life and profession.
"I think, ultimately, us all being mortal, the faith will win out in the end. But I certainly hope when I get to heaven, Jesus has a sense of humor," Colbert replied.
"But I will say this. This relates to faith, because my faith is involved-I'm a Christian, I'm a Catholic-and that's always connected to the idea of love and sacrifice being somehow related, and giving yourself to other people. And that death is not defeat, if you can see where I'm getting at there," he added.
Colbert recalled an incident of someone asking him what was his favorite movie last year and he cited Kenneth Branagh's "Belfast," since it is an "Irish movie" and him being an "Irish American." He explained that his and the movie's ethnicity has something to do with his faith, too, pointing that it is a "Catholic thing." As such, he revealed that "it's funny and it's sad, and it's funny about being sad."
"In the same way, that sadness is like a little bit of an emotional death, but not a defeat if you can find a way to laugh about it. Because that laughter keeps you from having fear of it. And fear is the thing that (causes you to turn) to evil devices to save you from the sadness," Colbert elaborated.
Colbert cited a quote from Robert Hayden's poem that "deliverance from evil" does not come from "accepting evil" but from "struggling to maintain our humanity" in the face of such evil. He then concluded that this is what connects his faith and his comedy.
"So if there's some relationship between my faith and my comedy, it's that no matter what happens, you are never defeated. You must understand this and see it in the light of eternity, and find some way to love and laugh with each other," Colbert underscored.
Lipa and the audience were awed at Colbert's response along with many Netizens who expressed appreciation for his statements. USA Today cited a Marisa Ward who, though being "a non-Christian," remarked that she "needed to hear" that "comment on fear." Ward went on to say that she "just became a huge fan of Stephen Colbert."
Despite the praise, Christian conservatives were said to give some pushback on Colbert's response out of him being the country's most liberal television host. A matter New York City's Redeemer Presbyterian Church Founder Tim Keller defended as "a skillful example of how to be a Christian in the public square."
"It is a form of witness that culture can handle. We should desire to have more Christians in these spaces and give them grace as they operate. Please do not make the error: if you cite person X at all you must answer for everything person X ever did or said," Keller said.
