Stephen Colbert Says His Pain Was ‘Off the Charts’ When His Appendix Ruptured During ‘The Late Show’ | Video

After two weeks off the air, Stephen Colbert returned to “The Late Show” stage, where he was quick to tell the full story of his ruptured appendix.

Colbert revealed Monday night that he woke up in “abdominal agony” the week of Thanksgiving but that he “figured the pain would go away.”

“I decided to do the show that night. How bad could it be? Turns out extremely bad,” Colbert said during his return Monday. “The pain was off the charts by the time I made it to stage that night.”

The hiatuses the show had taken throughout 2023 played into Colbert’s decision to push through the pain.

“Because we’d already been out five months for the strike and I’d already missed a week for COVID and most importantly because I am an idiot, I said ‘Let’s just do the show,'” Colbert said. “But it also proves that I’m kind of brave.”

Though Colbert assured everyone around him he was fine, many suspected something was seriously wrong with the CBS host. Louis Cato, the bandleader for “The Late Show,” said he knew something was wrong because “for the first time in almost nine years you had to rehearse the opening monologue sitting at your desk with a barf bucket sitting next to you.”

“I had forgotten that detail until you reminded me. That’s never a good sign,” Colbert joked.

Because “The Late Show” was filming two episodes that day to give the cast and crew Thanksgiving off, Colbert held it together for two opening monologues, two second acts and a “long” interview with Bradley Cooper. Colbert later joked “there is no pain when you’re lost in those baby blues.”

But throughout filming, the one moment he was not prepared for had to do with chef José Andrés. During the duo’s cooking segment, Andrés, who had no idea how Colbert was feeling, grabbed Colbert to dance.

“Keep in mind, not to get too technical here, I was dying,” Colbert said. “[Andrés] had no way of knowing at that point my insides had become what the Spanish call paella.”

By the time filming was over, Colbert said he had a “raging fever.” Though he originally asked his driver to take him straight home, both his driver and Colbert’s wife, Evelyn McGee-Colbert, interjected and took him to the hospital instead. During the segment, Colbert profusely thanked his wife for insisting he go to the hospital, resulting in the live studio audience chanting Evie’s name.

By the time he arrived, doctors discovered that Colbert’s appendix had already burst. “When they opened me up it looked like they had shot ‘John Wick 5’ in there,” the late night host joked.

Colbert spent the rest of the segment thanking his wife, children, doctors, crew and everyone who wished him a speedy recovery. The CBS host is set to have new episodes every night this week. Here’s hoping Colbert’s recovery continues to go well and that he doesn’t push himself too hard.

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