Stephen Colbert ruptures appendix, cancels 'Late Show' episodes

Nov. 27 (UPI) -- "The Late Show" on CBS has been canceled this week after Stephen Colbert announced Monday he is recovering from surgery for a ruptured appendix.

"Sorry to say that I have to cancel our shows this week," Colbert wrote in a statement on Instagram's Threads service.

"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," he added. "Going forward, all emails to my appendix will be handled by my pancreas."

While there was no show scheduled for Monday night, Colbert was slated to return with new episodes Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Among the scheduled guests for the week after Thanksgiving were A-listers Barbra Streisand, Jennifer Garner, Baz Luhrmann, Patrick Stewart, bandleader Jon Batiste and Kelsey Grammar to promote his reboot of "Frasier."

This is the second time a medical issue recently sidelined "The Late Show." The show was canceled for a week last month while Colbert recovered from COVID-19.

"The Late Show" was also off the air over the summer during the Writers Guild of America strike.