Stephen Colbert during the final episode of 'The Late Show.' Scott Kowalchyk ©2026 CBS Broadcasting Inc. After Stephen Colbert was accused of crossing a picket line during a Harvard University event, the evening was cut short when someone pulled a fire alarm.
The former late night host joined famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma for a conversation on Thursday as part of the Office of the Arts’ “Learning from Performers” series.
Ahead of the event, members of the Harvard Graduate Students Union — who have been on strike since Oct. 27 as they seek higher wages and stronger workplace protections — asked Colbert and Ma to relocate, postpone or cancel the appearance in solidarity with workers. “Please don’t cross our picket line tomorrow night!” the union wrote on Instagram Wednesday.
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When the pair decided to proceed with the event as scheduled in Sanders Theatre, dozens of Harvard workers protested outside. However, the planned 90-minute conversation abruptly ended about 40 minutes in when a fire alarm went off, Harvard Magazine reported. Colbert was then evacuated from the venue.
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In a statement shared on social media, HGSU stated that it was not involved with the fire alarm. “The alarm was unrelated to HGSU’s picketing activity and we have no knowledge of its cause,” the union wrote. “Members at the picket were relieved to learn that no one inside was at risk.”
OFA director Fiona Coffey also apologized for how the event ended in a statement to Harvard Magazine. “I’m so grateful to all the students and staff who spent an enormous amount of time and energy preparing for such a special evening and am profoundly sorry that it ended in such a disappointing way,” she wrote.
The cause of the fire alarm remains unclear.
HGSU was hoping Colbert would avoid crossing the picket line as he previously stood with protesters during the 2023 Hollywood strikes. He also co-founded the limited-series comedy podcast Strike Force Five — alongside fellow late night hosts Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and John Oliver — to help financially support their out-of-work production staff and writers at the time.
The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to Colbert and Harvard University for comment.
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