UPDATED:
via The New York Post: Stephen Colbert has suspended production of his satirical comedy show temporarily because of an emergency in his family, according to people familiar with the show.
The show is expected to resume production soon, perhaps as early as next week, the people added.
The short answer is that no one has any idea, but here is what we do know. The Colbert Report has abruptly halted production of new episodes and will air reruns for the rest of the week. Steve Albani, who is a spokesman for Comedy Central sent a very concise e-mail to the press yesterday informing them that yesterday’s taping was canceled “due to unforeseen circumstances,” but refused to provide any additional details.
Here are a few “clues” from different news sources today:
Third Beat Magazine, which was among the first to break the news, noted that while The Colbert Report has never missed a scheduled taping, its older brother, The Daily Show, has been forced to call off the show twice in the past: Once for the birth of Jon Stewart’s second child, and once due to the passing of a staff member.
The Hollywood Reporter says it has been told by sources that production should be back to normal soon… There is no indication that Colbert’s absence is caused by a dispute with the network and sources there told THR that The Colbert Report will be back up and running soon.
Comedy magazine The Third Beat points out that Jon Stewart’s Daily Show was abruptly canceled only twice; once when Stewart’s second child was born and a second time when a Daily Show staffer died suddenly.
I can’t see this going much further without it getting back on track, the show is too good to not continue.
