Stephen Colbert tests positive for COVID, tonight’s Late Show canceled
You'll have to get your fix of Colbert talking to Jason Bateman elsewhere, sadly
Aux News Stephen Colbert
Tonight’s broadcast of CBS’s The Late Show With Stephen Colbert has been canceled, Deadline reports, after host Stephen Colbert tested positive for COVID-19. Colbert reported that he’s feeling “basically fine,” and issued the now-standard note of gratitude for being vaxxed and boosted to help ameliorate at least some of the effects of the disease.
As Colbert joked in a tweet announcing the cancellation, tonight’s episode of his show was supposed to be focused on Netflix’s Ozark, with him set to interview both Laura Linney and the dreaded Jason Bateman. As-is, the show will instead air a rerun, allowing audiences to revisit some past moments with America’s favorite finger-snapping Grimace, Josh Brolin. (Also: The Who!)
Late Show was already set to go on hiatus next week so it’s easy to imagine that the show will be ready to return for its next scheduled air date of new episodes, May 2. Really, it’s just the latest evolution in late night’s long response to the COVID pandemic, which had an especially strong impact on a genre of shows set to broadcast nightly to national audiences. Colbert, like most late-night hosts, took his show out of the studio in 2020 to lower the chances of the disease being passed between crew (and guests). He eventually returned to studio last year, albeit with regular tests to catch infection.
Which, gosh, but they certainly have: Colbert joins fellow hosts Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, and James Corden in having contracted the disease at one point or another. (Ditto Bill Maher.) None appear to have suffered any long-lasting effects from the disease, a trend that will hopefully continue with Colbert. The former Comedy Central star remains the top-rated comic in late night; his numbers typically float just a bit above those of Jimmy Kimmel (apparently the last-man standing, contracting-COVID-wise) and far ahead of Jimmy Fallon at NBC.
32 Comments
Colbert will bounce back, he’s been on the ropes before.
Dear FX (or any other channel), please bring The Colbert Report back to UK screens. – Daenerys , London, 16/12/2012 01:32
I’ve never understood how you keep up with the news like that.
Back when Colbert was dope, seems like another lifetime.
Here in Australia we’re two weeks into a six-week election campaign and our opposition leader’s just gone down with Covid and will be in iso for a week, all while our fuckwit Prime Minister continues his bullshit campaign.
Yeah, yall stopped freaking out about defense spending when Russia invaded the Ukraine. Now thats no longer a thing he can go after Albanese is hanging his hat on booting the Queen and ridding the world of social injustice. Good luck with that… moderates are scared of Albanese after seeing the insanity of the U.S. right now. He was going to lose whether he got Covid or not.
What are you trying to say, exactly?
I for one feel like I just got a comprehensive lesson in Australian national politics. Anyone else? No?
The Albanese are coming?!?!
“Yeah, y’all [sic] stopped freaking out about defense spending when Russia invaded Ukraine.”It’s almost as if some people are smart enough to adapt to what is actually happening in the world. Like a war.
Are you voting for the Boomerang Party or the Kangaroos?
In other news, Stephen Colbert tested positive for being an imbecile many years ago.
Pretty sure he’s smarter than your average human.
And 100% certain that he’s smarter than anyone called “Let’s Go Brandon.” Not that that’s saying much.
You sure showed him, what with you complete lack of success in any field.
And you sure showed me, what with “your” complete lack of correct grammar.
Ooh, a “Let’s Go Brandon” chud in the wild. I’ve been meaning to ask one of you: you realize you can just say “fuck,” right? For example, I can just say “Donald Trump and his brain-dead bumblefuck dipshit Nazi asshole supporters can all go burn in hell” outright. No “secret code” necessary, with the the added advantage of not coming across as an 11-year-old who thinks he found a vewy vewy clever way for getting away with cussin’.
Let’s go Brandon. LET’S GO BRANDON!See? Nobody cares.
I’m sorry that no one has ever loved you or ever will, but I do think that speaks well to their collective character.
Bring back Craig Ferguson. Better than this one dimensional show. How does Colbert’s ratings compare to Letterman’s?
He’s better than you.
“being an imbecile”Says the moron hiding behind the username “Let’s Go Brandon” because they’re too chicken shit to say what they really mean.
You are just so proud of your ignorance..
LMAO you’re afraid to say fuck Joe Biden.
Colbert joins the ranks of…literally everyone in the US, who will, if they haven’t already, contract COVID. I’m not exaggerating, this is actual public policy as funneled through representatives of the government. We’re just full on “everyone’s gonna get it” in pure Ivan Drago “if you die, you die” contempt for anyone who can’t deal with it.Thanks to the “return to work” push that many companies pushed to pressure everyone to get back to in-person work, I found myself amongst the ranks of the covided. If it hasn’t gotten you yet, and you live in the US, it’s just a matter of time.
Jesus, is Fallon really coming in below Kimmel in the ratings? I mean, he should be, but I’m amazed that that’s the case. They just went ahead and completely devalued the Tonight Show brand, didn’t they?
The Tonight Show is finally getting what it deserves after the Letterman/Leno/O’Brian debacles.
Bring back Leno!
Who do you think should be host instead of Fallon?
YES!!! CANCELED!!!
Would anyone miss late night talk shows if they all suddenly disappeared?
I never miss an episode of Colbert’s show.