Stephen Colbert has veered off the road to the White House.
The Colbert Report host announced Monday that he will no longer be running for president after the South Carolina Democratic Executive Council voted 13-3 last week to keep him off the state's primary ballot.
"Although I lost by the slimmest margin in presidential election history—only 10 votes—I have chosen not to put the country through another agonizing Supreme Court battle," Colbert said Monday in a statement. "It is time for this nation to heal."
The faux news host had said he planned to run only in his native state of South Carolina and initially claimed that he would run both as a Democrat and a Republican, so as to have the fun of losing twice.
He paid the $2,500 filing fee with the state's Democratic party but ultimately declined to cough up the $35,000 it would have cost him to file with the GOP.
Though he came through with the filing fee, the South Carolina Democratic Executive Council blackballed his candidacy, after determining that "he was not a viable candidate."
Despite the blow to his campaign, Colbert assured his followers all was not lost.
"I want to say to my supporters, this is not over," Colbert said. "While I may accept the decision of the Council, the fight goes on! The dream endures!"
"I am going off the air until I can talk about this without weeping," he added. (And, of course, until the writers' strike is resolved.)
Both The Colbert Report and The Daily Show are expected to be in repeats for the duration of the strike, as are most of the other late-night talk shows.