The Late Show With Stephen Colbert will be off this week due to Colbert's hospitalization. The late night host underwent surgery to remove a ruptured appendix. An infected appendix that bursts is a serious condition, and requires surgery to remove the organ and all infected material. We don't know when it happened, but today Colbert had recovered enough to make the announcement on various social media accounts.
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. 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.
This is the second time that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert has canceled a week of shows since returning from the five-month writer's strike in early October. Colbert suffered a round of Covid-19 in the latter part of October, requiring a week off. We don't yet know if one week off will allow him to recover from surgery enough to return to the show, but we wish him a speedy and easy recovery.