Stephen Colbert Tests Positive for COVID, The Late Show Taping Cancelled

Stephen Colbert has announced that he tested positive for COVID-19, leading to upcoming tapings of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert being cancelled. Colbert broke the news on Thursday, indicating that he “basically” is “feeling fine” and is “grateful to be vaxxed and boosted.” Colbert also thanked fans for their “well wishes,” and joked that the case proves that he’ll “do anything to avoid interviewing Jason Bateman,” who was scheduled to appear on the show on Thursday.

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. https://t.co/Vf5Ws5WVcE

— Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) April 21, 2022

The official Twitter account for The Late Show confirmed that, as a result of Colbert’s positive COVID-19 case, Thursday’s taping for a new episode of the show is cancelled, and that the show will be airing reruns of previous episodes until it returns on May 2nd.

Colbert is the latest late-night television host to reveal that they have tested positive for COVID-19, with The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon, Late Night host Seth Meyers and The Late Late Show host James Corden all testing positive at one point or another. 

Colbert has been open about his experience hosting The Late Show during the pandemic, as well as how his anxieties about the virus impacted his time as a performer.

“I’m glad to have relaxed into that vulnerable feeling because it makes you less nervous in general about being a public figure, let alone a public performer,” Colbert explained in a 2021 interview with Variety. “It’s like you’re saying, ‘Well, this is really what I’m like, and I hope that’s OK with you.’ And to find out that was OK was another level of becoming myself, of which this entire show has been a journey to.”

The Late Show first returned to having in-person studio audiences back in June of 2021, which Colbert argued was an incentive to help the show evolve.

“Coming back to the live audience lets us say, ‘Oh, this is great!’ But I don’t want to just be satisfied that we do the old form of The Late Show,” Colbert revealed. “We’ve got to keep evolving. And I don’t know what that is other than I know you always have to wear that idea on your nose in a little music stand with a little piece of sheet music that says ‘Evolve’ on it.”

As mentioned above, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will be airing reruns of previous episodes until it returns on May 2nd.