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Stephen Colbert announced in a social media post Monday that he has canceled this week’s episodes of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” after his appendix ruptured.
Still, he mustered up enough good humor to make a joke to his fans about the reason for the last-minute cancellation.
“I’m sure you’re thinking, ‘Turkey overdose, Steve?’ Gravy boat capsizes?’ “I’m actually recovering from surgery for a ruptured appendix,” he wrote Monday afternoon.
According to the Mayo Clinic, a ruptured or ruptured appendix is a potentially life-threatening condition that spreads infection throughout the abdominal cavity. Immediate surgery is required to remove the organ.
Colbert didn’t have a new episode scheduled for Monday, but had planned to interview actress Jennifer Garner, director Baz Luhrmann and guitarist John Scofield on Tuesday; Actor Patrick Stewart and singer-songwriter Jon Batiste on Wednesday; and singer Barbra Streisand and actress Kelsey Grammer on Thursday, CBS reported.
Colbert’s and other late-night shows were off the air during the months-long Writers Guild of America strike from May to October. Later in October, The Late Show canceled several episodes while Colbert recovered from Covid.
Colbert has hosted “The Late Show” since 2015, when he took over from longtime host David Letterman. From 2005 to 2014, he hosted Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report.”
Before recovering, Colbert thanked his medical team and family. He signed off by giving people a glimpse into how his new life without an appendix not only forced him to cancel the show this week, but would also impact daily operations well into the future.
“In the future,” he told them, “all emails to my appendix will be handled by my pancreas.”