A burst or ruptured appendix is a potentially life-threatening condition that spreads infection throughout the abdomen, according to the Mayo Clinic. It requires immediate surgery to remove the organ.

Colbert didn’t have a new episode scheduled Monday but had planned to interview actress Jennifer Garner, director Baz Luhrmann and guitarist John Scofield on Tuesday; actor Patrick Stewart and singer-songwriter Jon Batiste on Wednesday; and singer Barbra Streisand and actor Kelsey Grammer on Thursday, CBS reported.

Colbert’s and other late-night shows went off the air from May to October during the months-long Writers Guild of America strike. Later in October, “The Late Show” canceled several episodes while Colbert recovered from covid.

Colbert has hosted “The Late Show” since 2015 when he took the reins from longtime host David Letterman. From 2005 to 2014, he was the host of Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report.”

Before returning to his recovery, Colbert thanked his medical team and his family. He signed off by giving people some insight about how his new appendix-less existence was not only forcing him to cancel the show this week but would also affect day-to-day operations well into the future.

“Going forward,” he told them, “all emails to my appendix will be handled by my pancreas.”