Stephen Colbert suffers a ruptured appendix

Stephen Colbert has suffered a ruptured appendix.

The 59-year-old comedian has cancelled scheduled episodes of his late-night TV show after he went under the knife.

The TV star - who has hosted 'The Late Show' since 2015 - said on Instagram: "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. 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. (sic)"

Stephen was set to interview a host of big-name guests over the coming week, including the likes of Jennifer Garner, Baz Luhrmann, Sir Patrick Stewart, Barbra Streisand, and Kelsey Grammer.

Meanwhile, earlier this year, Stephen was forced to cancel a number of episodes after testing positive for COVID-19.

The comedian took to social media at the time to announce the news and to joke about a planned interview with 'Ozark' stars Jason Bateman and Laura Linney.

Stephen said at the time: "Yep! I tested positive for COVID, but basically I’m feeling fine -- grateful to be vaxxed and boosted. Thank you for the well wishes. This just proves that I will do anything to avoid interviewing Jason Bateman. (sic)"

Prior to that, Stephen claimed that Jason was "a little hostile as a guest".

The actor subsequently explained why he was "less than chatty" during an appearance on the late-night show.

Jason said on the 'Smartless' podcast: "I just came from dinner and things built up a little bit, and if I could just let this one bubble out, things would really work out for me. And so I release the valve a little bit. Out comes … more than air."

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