Podcast Summary: Be My Guest with Ina Garten
Episode: Stephen Colbert & Evie McGee-Colbert
Release Date: October 13, 2024
Host: Ina Garten
Guests: Stephen Colbert & Evie McGee-Colbert
Setting: Ina’s East Hampton home
Duration: ~37 minutes (content only)
Episode Overview
Ina Garten welcomes Stephen Colbert and Evie McGee-Colbert to her East Hampton home for a lively, heartwarming conversation about marriage, family traditions, live TV, and food. The trio prepares and shares recipes—from Ina’s legendary sour cream coffee cake to Colbert family favorites and cocktails—while reflecting on meaningful family anecdotes, the ups and downs of creative collaboration, and memorable moments from Stephen's career. The episode radiates warmth, humor, and genuine affection.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Arrival, Welcomes, and Coffee Cake
[01:28–09:10]
- Ina prepares her signature sour cream coffee cake for her guests, describing her recipe and technique in detail.
- Warm and playful banter as Stephen and Evie arrive—expressing nervous excitement about cooking with Ina.
- The coffee cake becomes an icebreaker, with Stephen quipping about his own version (“Cooking for Stephen”) amid much laughter.
Quote:
"I watch Ina every night before the show. I feel like I'm going into a dream that I have every day."
—Stephen Colbert [07:07]
2. How Ina, Stephen & Evie First Connected
[07:48–08:48]
- The “Twitter meet-cute”: Stephen tweeted about Ina’s cookbook, jokingly demanding a “Cooking for Stephen,” which led Ina to send him a customized version.
- Lighthearted fun over the personalized book.
Quote:
"It's not just Cooking for Stephen here, but it's Cooking for Stephen. Literally every page, they marked out Cooking for Jeffrey and made Cooking for Stephen."
—Stephen Colbert [08:35]
3. Pandemic Production Stories & Family Dynamics
[09:12–11:02]
- Evie shares her experience being a COVID-era producer/“crew member” on The Late Show, supporting Stephen from their basement with no formal training.
- Stephen’s anxiety over having family present during tapings—a new dynamic that evolved during lockdown.
- Anecdotes about technical mishaps (trouble hearing Tom Hanks in Greece).
Quote:
"I was really nervous to have her in the room the whole time because... I don't even particularly like family to be at the show when I'm doing the show."
—Stephen Colbert [09:39]
4. Memorable “Late Show” Moments & Interview Challenges
[11:11–12:05]
- Stephen recalls difficult interviews—one guest leaving mid-interview, and Robert De Niro’s famously terse answers, leading to a minute of silence on air.
- The trio commiserates over “bad guests” and the art of keeping a show moving.
Quote:
"Bob, one of my favorite interviews I've ever done was with De Niro because... we took one solid minute and we didn't talk at all on television."
—Stephen Colbert [11:49]
5. Childhood Memories and Meeting Stories
[12:19–17:02, 21:46–23:38]
- Stephen reveals he’s the youngest of 11 children—leading to tales of growing up in a bustling, “free range” family.
- The story of Stephen and Evie meeting: Stephen returned home to Charleston, meets Evie at a theater while reevaluating a relationship, and recalls an instant sense of destiny.
- Flirtations over sharkskin suits and beards.
- Ina shares how her husband Jeffrey instantly knew he wanted to marry her.
- Nostalgia and laughter over elementary family meals (e.g., “free-range” DIY dinners, fish sticks with condensed tomato soup).
Quote:
"I am the youngest of 11 children. Wow. They finally got it right."
—Stephen Colbert [12:26]
Quote:
"And I literally thought, this her? You're gonna marry her."
—Stephen Colbert [16:10]
6. Behind the Cookbook: “Does This Taste Funny?”
[19:04–27:01]
- Inspiration and process for their cookbook, blending Evie’s Southern family recipes and Stephen's comedic flair.
- Famous Colbert sibling “fudge saga”: Each sibling remembers their late mother’s fudge recipe differently, so the book features multiple interpretations.
- Discussion on the copy-editing process (and its absurdities), like specifying “peeled and mashed bananas.”
- The cookbook is structured as a dialogue between Stephen and Evie, giving it a conversational, double-voiced charm.
- The project grew from their COVID experience of collaborating at home.
Quotes:
- "I wish I could make an audience laugh the way I can make Evie laugh..." —Stephen Colbert [25:31]
- "The book's really about, like, what it's like to hang out with us in our life and our kitchen and... at our parties." —Stephen Colbert [23:38]
7. Recipe Demos & Family Food Traditions
A. Evie’s Green Goddess Dip
[29:30–34:34]
- Evie demonstrates her take on green goddess dip, with playful interruptions from Stephen.
- Anecdote: The green goddess dip came from Evie’s sister-in-law, and was a road-trip tradition.
- Stephen jokes about his aversion to radishes (using them as trashcan basketballs).
- Ina and Stephen praise Evie’s cooking skills.
Notable Recipe Notes:
- Half a cup each of mayonnaise and sour cream
- Chives, tarragon, parsley, green onion tops, a touch of anchovy paste, lemon juice
- Traditionally served with potato chips
Quote:
"If you tell someone there's anchovy paste, they might eat it."
—Evie McGee Colbert [31:27]
B. Stephen’s “Capri Sunset” Cocktail
[34:34–36:43]
- Step-by-step instructions: Orange juice and vodka (“one Mississippi, two…”), soda water, float of Campari on top.
- Inspired by drinks with Dick Cavett, who learned the OJ/Campari combo from Marlon Brando.
- Playful back-and-forth about serving practices, ice, and not using fingers.
Quote:
"I love the sweetness and the bitterness of Campari."
—Stephen Colbert [36:34]
8. Celebrity Anecdotes & Live Show Surprises
[17:29–18:15]
- Wildest live-TV encounters: Jane Fonda sitting in Stephen’s lap, Helen Mirren and Sally Field kissing him on-air, and Jeff Daniels following suit.
- Discussion on how Stephen’s on-camera persona differs from his home self—Evie vetoed the “Colbert Report” character at home but welcomes his goofy side.
Quote:
"Jane Fonda crawled in my lap and stuck her tongue in my ear."
—Stephen Colbert [17:37]
"Helen Mirren kissed me on the lips. She walked on and give me the second best kiss I've ever had."
—Stephen Colbert [17:53]
9. On Family, Children, and Jennifer Garner
[32:51–34:02]
- The Colberts reveal Jennifer Garner was their daughter’s babysitter before becoming famous.
- Previous skepticism about Garner’s acting dreams, then star-struck surprise at her success.
Quote:
"I hope you get a commercial or two gobbled up. You'll have to wait tables for a long time."
—Evie McGee Colbert [33:14]
Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)
- Stephen Colbert on pandemic home production:
"I was really nervous to have her in the room the whole time..." [09:39] - On cookbook collaboration:
"The book's really about, like, what it's like to hang out with us in our life and our kitchen..." [23:38] - On food memories:
"Mayonnaise and mustard mixed together with a dash of paprika on a saltine cracker. That's your meal." — Stephen [22:58] - On celebrity kisses:
"Helen Mirren kissed me on the lips. She walked on and give me the second best kiss I've ever had." — Stephen [17:53] - On laughter and marriage:
"I wish I could make an audience laugh the way I can make Evie laugh." — Stephen [25:31]
Recipe Highlights
- Sour Cream Coffee Cake (Ina Garten's Classic): Detailed step-by-step at [01:28–06:24].
- Green Goddess Dip (Evie’s Family): Demonstration and commentary at [29:35–34:34].
- Capri Sunset Cocktail (Stephen Colbert’s Creation): Step-by-step at [34:34–36:43].
Tone & Atmosphere
- Playful, self-deprecating humor from Stephen.
- Supportive and slightly teasing rapport between Evie and Stephen—a portrait of a long, loving marriage.
- Ina’s warm and inquisitive style, putting guests at ease while inviting them to share meaningful stories and recipes.
Concluding Moments
[36:43–37:34]
- The trio toasts with Capri Sunset cocktails.
- Stephen and Evie joke about future visits in pajamas, and pandemic comfort attire is fondly recalled.
- Episode closes with mutual appreciation and joy.
Summary
This episode is a delightful medley of laughter, vulnerability, and shared culinary joy. Ina, Stephen, and Evie’s affectionate chemistry shines, whether they’re recounting late-night TV antics, the messy art of family cooking, or the idiosyncrasies of writing a cookbook together. From classic Southern recipes to the “Colbert sibling fudge saga,” each story is a warm invitation—making this episode both nourishing and thoroughly entertaining.