"The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" had to cancel its production this week due to the top-rated U.S. late-night television host undergoing surgery for a ruptured appendix. The announcement was made by the CBS program on Monday.
The announcement surfaced through a concise statement on the show's official Threads social media feed. The message, delivered in Colbert's characteristic tongue-in-cheek manner, playfully alluded to Thanksgiving excesses.
"Sorry to say that I have to cancel our shows this week. I’m sure you’re thinking, 'Turkey overdose, Steve? Gravy boat capsize?' Actually, I’m recovering from surgery for a ruptured appendix," he wrote.
Colbert extends thanks to his medical team for their care and expresses gratitude for his wife, Evie, and their children "for putting up with me". He humorously quips, "Moving forward, all correspondence to my appendix will be managed by my pancreas."
Advertisement
No information was shared with regards to the time he fell ill or underwent surgery, how long he was hospitalized, or whether he has yet been discharged. When approached by Reuters News Agency, his representatives did not immediately respond to their requests for further details.
Cancellation of this week's shows marked the second interruption in Colbert's production schedule. His show, recorded before a live audience at the Ed Sullivan Theater in Manhattan, resumed airing in early October after the resolution of a lengthy strike by the Writers Guild of America.
Colbert, the most watched host on U.S. late-night television for several straight years, hosted one episode from his home last month after testing positive for COVID-19 before the rest of that week's installments were canceled, as reported by Hollywood trade paper Variety.
Advertisement
Among the guest celebrities and performers who had been due to appear on the show this week were actress Jennifer Garner, director Baz Luhrmann, former "Late Show" band leader Jon Batiste, actor Patrick Stewart, singer-actress Barbra Streisand and actor Kelsey Grammer, Variety mentioned.
The “Late Show” airs Monday through Friday at 11:35 p.m. EST on CBS, and streams on Paramount+.
