Comedians Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert Share a Surprisingly Heartwarming Friendship

Celebrity friendships can be fascinating to fans. Sometimes, it fulfills the parasocial fantasy that people have of their favorites being buddies, and sometimes it can seem like an elite club that the average person can never get invited to.

Comedians Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert have a surprisingly heartwarming friendship that's apparent every time they work together.

The two have been friends for years, dating back to the 1990s, and every time they appear on camera together, there's a childlike sense of joy that is hard to miss.

Here's what we know about their decades-old friendship.

According to Vanity Fair, their friendship started back in the early 1990s when they both worked as members of the Second City comedy troupe in Chicago.

They made fast friends and later worked together on The Dana Carvey Show and The Daily Show.

Throughout the decades, their friendship has endured. And oftentimes when they appear together, they can barely contain their laughter. Which is fair, since fans often feel the same way.

With Stephen's show coming to a conclusion in 2026, Steve has made several appearances likely to both support his friend and to get in some quality time before Stephen is on to different opportunities.

Their friendship is a bright spot in the world, and it's a good thing they have each other to rely on with the way 2026 has been going. For Steve, things seem to be going well.

2026 saw the release of his new comedic series Rooster, created by Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses, with Steve Carell at the helm playing the titular character, nicknamed "Rooster."

But 2026 is the end of an era for Stephen, who has been a late-night titan for decades. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is coming to an end in late May 2026, after 10 years. While the network cited their reasons as being "purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night," fans weren't convinced (excerpts via CBS News).

The abrupt decision to axe the late-night show came after Stephen was criticized by President Donald Trump for blasting Paramount's decision to settle a lawsuit with the politician over the way a 60 Minutes interview was edited.

CBS tried to claim that the show's end was "not related in any way to the show's performance, content, or other matters happening at Paramount," but the timing made it extremely suspicious.

Stephen himself seemed blindsided by the decision. After announcing it to his live audience, those watching let out a chorus of boos and cries of "No," to which Stephen replied, "Yeah, I share your feelings."

Whether the abrupt ending of the show is a good thing or not for audiences, it gives Stephen a chance to pursue other opportunities. Even, perhaps, spending some more time with his buddy Steve.