Why ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ Is Airing Repeats Again

CBS‘ The Late Show will once again be airing repeats the week of December 4) as Stephen Colbert continues to recover from his recent appendix surgery.

“I’m listening to my doctors and continuing to rest and heal. Thank you for all your well wishes and I’ll see you soon,” the late-night host shared on Threads via the official Late Show account on Sunday, December 3.

The schedule shift comes after Colbert revealed toward the end of last month that he had to undergo surgery for a ruptured appendix.

“Sorry to say that I have to cancel our shows this week,” he posted on Threads just after Thanksgiving. “I’m sure you’re thinking, ‘Turkey overdose, Steve? Gravy boat capsize?’ Actually, I’m recovering from surgery for a ruptured appendix.”

He added, “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.”

 

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This week’s line-up of guests was meant to include Sarah Paulson, Jason Isbell, Mark Ruffalo, Nicki Minaj, Sara Bareilles, and Rep. Liz Cheney, none of whom will now appear on the show. The likes of Jennifer Garner, Baz Luhrmann, Patrick Stewart, Jon Batiste, and Kelsey Grammer were set to appear on last week’s canceled shows.

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Instead, reruns will air across the week, featuring guests such as Kerry Washington, Rep. Maxwell Frost, Sec. Pete Buttigieg, Willie Nelson, John Oliver, Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez, Talking Heads, and Mae Martin.

This is the latest in a string of production shutdowns for the long-running talk show. The show went on a four-month hiatus starting in May due to the WGA strikes, with new episodes returning on October 2. But Colbert tested positive for COVID-19 in mid-October; he broadcasted the October 16 show from his home and then missed a week of new episodes while he recovered.