Did Stephen Colbert Shut Down Report Due to Mother's "Serious Illness"?

Multiple media outlets report that a family emergency prompted show hiatus

Stephen Colbert may be hilarious, but there's nothing funny about his dedication to his nearest and dearest.

The Emmy (and Grammy, he's happy to remind us) winner unexpectedly suspended production on The Colbert Report yesterday, and the Wall Street Journal was first to report that the "unforeseen circumstances" that prompted the hiatus were actually a family emergency.

According to the Huffington Post, meanwhile, it's the family matriarch, Colbert's 91-year-old mother, Lorna, who is "seriously ill."

Colbert, who was originally one of 11 children (two brothers died along with his father in a plane crash in 1974), has not tweeted any updates since Valentine's Day and Comedy Central is remaining similarly quiet on the subject.

Both The Colbert Report and The Daily Show, which usually schedule their breaks at the same time, were in repeats last week and were back in action Monday—but a Report repeat was necessary Wednesday and will be again today after Colbert shut down production.

Stewart has shut down The Daily Show without a heads-up only twice—after the death of a staff member and when his second child was born.