Stephen Colbert has put his late-night talk show on a brief hiatus because of a personal matter. The 59-year-old comedian shared a statement on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert‘s Instagram page on Monday, November 27 and revealed that the episodes for the rest of the week were canceled. Stephen informed his fans that he got surgery for a ruptured appendix and needed to take some time off work to recover.
“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,” Stephen said. “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.”
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was set to air three episodes this week with appearances from multiple A-list stars. Jennifer Garner and Baz Luhrmann were tapped as the guests for Tuesday, November 28 with a performance from John Scofield. Patrick Stewart was going to be on the show with musical guest John Batiste on Wednesday, November 29. Barbara Streisand and Kelsey Grammer were set to appear on Thursday, November 30 to close out the week.
Stephen’s late night show is coming off a lengthy hiatus due to the writers’ strike in Hollywood that lasted from May 2 to September 27. After the show returned in early October, Stephen had to do one episode from home because he tested positive for COVID-19. The rest of the episodes that week at the end of October were canceled as Stephen recovered at home.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert has been on the air since 2015. The show tapes at the Ed Sullivan Theatre in Manhattan, New York and plays on CBS weeknights at 11:35 pm ET/PT against Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Some of the guests that Stephen has welcomed on his show so far this season include Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kerry Washington, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Daniel Radcliffe.