Stephen Colbert Takes an Extended Break from 'Late Show' Following Appendix Surgery
Stephen Colbert takes an extended break from hosting 'The Late Show' to focus on his recovery and well-being after undergoing appendix surgery
Stephen Colbert Scott Kowalchyk/CBS
Late night viewers will have to wait a little longer for Stephen Colbert to return to the screen. The 59-year-old talk show host announced on Sunday, December 3, that new episodes of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert will not be airing for the second week in a row as he takes time to recover from appendix surgery.
Colbert took to Threads to share, "I'm following my doctors' advice and focusing on rest and recovery. Thank you for all the kind words - I'll be back in action soon."
The talk show had to cancel its new episodes following Colbert's announcement that he had undergone surgery. "You might be thinking I overdid it on turkey, or had a mishap with a gravy boat," he joked in a Threads post on November 27. "But the truth is, I'm recovering from surgery for a ruptured appendix."
Colbert expressed gratitude to his doctors for their care, as well as his wife, Evelyn "Evie" McGee-Colbert, and their children for their patience as he recovers. He also joked about his recovery process by saying, "Going forward, all emails to my appendix will be handled by my pancreas."
The TV host and McGee-Colbert, who is 60 years old, got married in 1993 and have three children together: daughter Madeline and sons Peter and John.
Stephen Colbert Mary Ellen Matthews/CBS
The absence of the host led to the cancellation of last week's interviews with Barbra Streisand, Kelsey Grammer, Jennifer Garner, Patrick Stewart and Baz Luhrmann. This week's guests Mark Ruffalo, Nicki Minaj, Sara Bareilles and Sarah Paulson won't be appearing on the show, and reruns will be aired instead.
In October, Colbert and his fellow late-night hosts made their return to TV after a lengthy hiatus caused by the Writers Guild of America strike, which concluded in September. After his initial comeback, Colbert had to pause production of The Late Show for a week as he recuperated from COVID-19.
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Check out this offer: "Sadly, I'll be taking the rest of the week off on doctor's orders," he tweeted in October. "I'll be resting up so I can bring you the hand-crafted, artisanal talk show that we all love. In the meantime, I'll be rebuilding my immune system with a potent combination of Paxlovid and onions in my socks (thanks, [Jimmy] Fallon)."
Colbert's reference to the onion joke was from the "Strike Force Five" podcast, which he co-hosted with Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and John Oliver during the WGA strike. Fallon, 49, joked in one episode that his friends suggested wearing a bag of onions on your feet could help treat a cough.
