Stephen Colbert was forced to cancel episodes of "The Late Show" this week after undergoing surgery for a ruptured appendix.
The late night host revealed the news Monday in a statement on social media.
"Sorry to say that I have to cancel our shows this week," he wrote. "I'm sure you're thinking, 'Turkey overdose, Steve? Gravy boat capsize?' Actually, I'm recovering from surgery for a ruptured appendix. I'm grateful to my doctors for their care and to Evie and the kids for putting up with me. Going forward, all emails to my appendix will be handled by my pancreas."
No new show was planned for Monday night. Colbert had been set to host Jennifer Garner, director Baz Luhrmann, and guitarist John Scofield on Tuesday. Patrick Stewart and Jon Batiste were scheduled for Wednesday, while Thursday was set to feature Barbra Streisand and Kelsey Grammer, according to CBS News.
"The Late Show" faced several disruptions this year, including a five-month hiatus due to the Writers Guild of America Strike, which ended in late September, Variety noted. During that time, Colbert and other late-night hosts organized a podcast and contributed its earnings to support their staff affected by the strike.
The show resumed in early October but encountered another setback when Colbert, testing positive for COVID-19, hosted one episode from his home before the remaining shows for the week were canceled.
USA Today described Colbert as being "giddy" upon his return to late-night TV when he walked onstage at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York on Oct. 2.
"Now the writers' strike is over, with a new contract that includes protections," Colbert said at the time. "Plus, thanks to the picket lines, my writers got fresh air and sunshine, and they do not care for that. Now they're back safely in their joke holes, doing what they do best, making my prompter word screen full of good and haha."
Colbert has been the host of CBS's "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" since 2015, following his tenure as the host of Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report" from 2005 to 2014.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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