Stephen Colbert Says His Wife Saved His Life After Burst Appendix (Exclusive)
Olivia Owen Stephen Colbert is praising the woman who has stood by his side for more than three decades, Evelyn McGee-Colbert. She's not only his wife, she also saved his life following a ruptured appendix and blood poisoning.
ET's Nischelle Turner broached the subject when the late-night TV host was on the red carpet for the 2023 Primetime Emmy Awards on Monday from L.A. Live's Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles, but before he could dive into the topic he had a very important question of his own.
"Where's my wife? She's somewhere around here. She saved my life," he said.
For the uninitiated, Colbert was forced to cancel several episodes of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert to recover from a ruptured appendix. He joked about the ordeal when he returned to the show in December, but the medical emergency was far more serious than he let on.
"First, appendix," he explained to ET. "And I was in a lot of pain. It was the last show before we took a break. And I went, 'I'll just go do the show anyway. I'm sure we'll be fine.' By the time the show's over I had a 102.5 fever. I was in shock. I had blood poisoning."
In true Colbert fashion, the comedian offered a public service announcement.
"Don't do it, kids," he quipped. "Don't broadcast with blood poisoning!"
Colbert was in such bad shape, his wife didn't have to see him in order to know her husband and the father of their three kids was in the middle of a serious medical scare.
"No, she heard me, because by the time I was calling her on the drive home, my teeth were chattering and my whole body was in spasms," he said.
Colbert, who is nominated for an Emmy in the Outstanding Variety Talk Series category, added that all he wanted to do was go home and sleep. But it was Evelyn who instead told Colbert's driver to drive him to the hospital, and that's where she met him. She knew, instantly, when they were on the phone that he needed a hospital.
"I kept saying, 'What am I gonna do at home with you?' No, we need a hospital," Evelyn recalled. "We need medical care because I can't take care of that kind of pain."
They say behind a good man stands a strong woman. In Colbert's case, a smart woman stands back there, too.
The 75th Primetime Emmy Awards, originally set to take place last September, was postponed due to the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. Hosted by Anthony Anderson at L.A. Live's Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, the ceremony will air live Monday, Jan. 15 at 5 p.m. PT, 8 p.m. ET on Fox, and will be streamed Tuesday, Jan. 16 on Hulu. Keep checking ETonline.com for complete Emmys coverage and for the full winners' list.
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