The comedian asked the former president about Suitgate in May while getting a preview of the Chicago library.

Stephen Colbert wears tan suit to Obama Presidential Center opening, winking at 2014 White House fashion controversy

The comedian asked the former president about Suitgate in May while getting a preview of the Chicago library.

By Marina Watts

Marina Watts

Marina Watts is a news writer for with seven years experience covering entertainment, pop culture and celebrity news. Her previous work appears in PEOPLE, Bustle and Newsweek.

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June 18, 2026 6:31 p.m. ET

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Stephen Colbert at the Barack Obama Presidential Center in Chicago in June 2026. Credit:

Kent NISHIMURA / AFP via Getty

- Stephen Colbert wore a tan suit to the Obama Presidential Center opening — calling back to when the former president wore the same in 2014.

- The comedian brought up the fashion moment while touring the Chicago center in May, and Barack Obama had no regrets.

- David Letterman and Obama Foundation Chairman Martin Nesbitt also dressed for the occasion in tan ensembles.

Stephen Colbert is dressed to impress.

The former *Late Show* host and comedian attended the opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago with a fashionable nod to the library's namesake: a tan suit.

Colbert rocked a light beige suit with a blue-and-brown striped tie for the occasion, calling back to when former president Barack Obama wore a tan suit to a press conference in August 2014, where he addressed combatting ISIS in Syria.

The day after Obama wore the suit and subsequently broke the internet, then-White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said, ”The president stands squarely behind his decision he made yesterday to wear his summer suit," per The Hill.

Stephen Colbert in Chicago in June 2026; Barack Obama in Washington, D.C., in August 2014.

Pedro UGARTE / AFP via Getty; SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty

Obama called back to the eyebrow-raising moment in his presidency in May, appearing on a *The Late Show With Stephen Colbert** *segment to give viewers a preview of the Chicago library*.*

“Is it safe to assume that some of these displays commemorate your greatest achievements as president?” Colbert asked Obama walking through the building. “Is there a wing dedicated to the greatest blunders? Is the tan suit here? I’m asking if the tan suit is here,” Colbert added, egging him on.

"Listen, I own that tan suit proudly, brother,” Obama quipped. "When you look back at the tan suit, what occurs to you?" Colbert pressed. The former president had a one-word answer: "Fly."

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Joining Colbert at the event were Oprah Winfrey, Tom Hanks, Mark Hamill, and L.L. Cool J, along with former President Joe Biden, Jill Biden, former President George W. Bush, Laura Bush, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and former President Bill Clinton.

There were also performances by artists such as Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, and U2’s Bono and The Edge.

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Following *suit* in fashion choices, Obama Foundation Chairman Martin Nesbitt and David Letterman sported tan ensembles for the occasion.

Stephen Colbert at the Barack Obama Presidential Center in Chicago in June 2026.

Kamil Krzaczynski / AFP via Getty

"How y'all like my tan suit?" Nesbitt asked the crowd during his opening remarks on Thursday, NBC Chicago reported.

"It was inspired by a very good friend of mine who made tan suits famous. I don't know about the rest of you all, but I thought he looked pretty good wearing his, so I decided to wear one myself."

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