NU Alum Stephen Colbert Razzes, Celebrates Alma Mater At Commencement
EVANSTON, Ill. (WBBM) -- Northwestern University alum and comedian Stephen Colbert returned to the Evanston campus Friday to give this year's commencement speech.
The star of Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report" spoke to graduates 25 years after he was sitting among them.
"Northwestern's alumni list is truly impressive. This university has graduated best-selling authors, Olympians, presidential candidates, Grammy winners, Peabody winners, Emmy winners – and that's just me," Colbert quipped.
Colbert poked fun at the university scandal this year in which a human sexuality class featured a live demonstration.
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And he chided the school for having a snow day in February when he endured the coldest day in Chicago history: Jan. 20, 1985, when the temperature was 27 below – 83 below, with the wind chill.
"Did NU close? No! We went to class," Colbert said. "Well, not me, I was a theater major. I didn't go to class that often, but we were supposed to."
He also teased Evanston for taking up enforcement of a so-called "brothel law" that has been on the books for decades and bans more than three unrelated people living together. It's actually designed to cut down on loud parties off-campus.
"In this economy, running a brothel might be the most reliable work out there," Colbert said.
Acknowledging it as trite advice, Colbert encouraged students to follow their dreams, but reminded them that dreams can change or "the world would be overrun with cowboys and princesses."
