Stephen Colbert name-drops ‘distracting’ A-list actress he was most ‘wildly attracted to’ in 11 ‘Late Show’ seasons

Stephen Colbert said he didn’t “know what to do with my eyeballs” when actress Michelle Williams appeared on “The Late Show” for the first time in 2019.

The comedian revealed that he was “wildly attracted” to the “Dawson’s Creek” alum during Wednesday’s episode of the “Strike Force Five” podcast, which he hosts with four other late-night hosts.

“Has there been a guest who was so attractive that you found it distracting?” co-host Jimmy Kimmel asked Colbert.

Stephen Colbert (pictured here in November 2023) was “wildly attracted to” Michelle Williams when she first visited his “Late Show.”Scott Kowalchyk/CBS
Colbert (seen here in November 2023) revealed the A-list actress he was attracted to during his “Strike Force Five” podcast on Wednesday.Scott Kowalchyk/CBS

“I’ll tell you who I did not expect to be wildly attracted to,” Colbert, 62, responded. “Like, I didn’t know what to do with myself. I did not know what to do with my eyeballs when Michelle Williams was on for the first time.”

He continued, “She sat down across from me and I went, ‘F–k, what is wrong with my head? I’d better not look directly at her for this entire interview.’”

The former “Colbert Report” host, who will say goodbye to “The Late Show” next Thursday, went on to gush about the “Dying for Sex” star’s “vibe” and “face” because he finds her “so beautiful.”

“I didn’t know what to do with myself,” Colbert (pictured here with the “Dying for Sex” star in April 2025) said. “I did not know what to do with my eyeballs when Michelle Williams was on for the first time.”Scott Kowalchyk/CBS
“She sat down across from me and I went, ‘F–k, what is wrong with my head?’” Colbert added.Scott Kowalchyk/CBS

Williams, 45, first visited “The Late Show” to promote her miniseries “Fosse/Verdon” in April 2019.

The last time she went to Colbert’s late-night show was in April 2025 to talk about her Golden Globe-winning Hulu series “Dying for Sex.”

A rep for Williams did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.

But the “Greatest Showman” star wasn’t the only A-lister who caught Colbert’s eye during his 11 seasons hosting the late-night CBS program. He also name-dropped stunners Rachel Weisz, Rebecca Ferguson and Andrew Garfield.

“I used to have a Rachel Weisz problem,” he told podcast co-hosts Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers and John Oliver of the 56-year-old actress.

Colbert also gushed over Rachel Weisz, here on his show in April 2023.Scott Kowalchyk/CBS
The former “Colbert Report” host name-dropped Andrew Garfield, here November 2021.Scott Kowalchyk/CBS

“When Rachel Weisz would be on, I would leave the building for fear I would say something stupid,” Colbert shared.

As for 42-year-old Garfield, Colbert couldn’t help but bring up the time they shared an intimate kiss in a January 2017 episode of “The Late Show.”

“Andrew Garfield, he is so attractive,” Colbert laughed as Kimmel chimed in, “And you kissed him!”

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Colbert co-hosts the “Strike Force Five” podcast with John Oliver, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel (all five pictured here on May 11).Scott Kowalchyk /CBS
Colbert welcomed the four fellow late-night hosts to his “Late Show” for the May 11 episode.Scott Kowalchyk /CBS

“Or he kissed me,” the former Comedy Central star responded. “We did get our hands tangled in each other’s hair. It was really nice.”

Colbert, Fallon, Kimmel, Meyers and Oliver all came together for a new episode of their “Strike Force Five” podcast in honor of Colbert’s last “Late Show” episodes.

The popular late-night program premiered in September 2015 and will air its last episode on May 21.

Disclaimer: This story is fictional and created for entertainment purposes only. Any names, characters, places, or events are fictitious or used fictitiously. No real person or organization is intended to be portrayed.

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