By Jo Piazza
FOX News
Sources inside ‘The Colbert Report’ tell FoxNews.com that the sudden suspension of Colbert’s Comedy Central show is due to a family emergency. Comedy Central refused to comment on that information, other than to say that “due to unforeseen circumstances, the show will air repeat episodes on Wednesday, February 15 and Thursday, February 16.”
Another source close to Colbert’s show also tells FoxNews.com that new episodes of the politically minded faux talk show should begin airing soon following the mysterious suspension of programming.
Steve Albani, a spokesperson for Comedy Central said: “Unfortunately, we’re not providing any details beyond the only official statement.”
The cancellation was unanticipated. Ticketholders for Wednesday night’s show were told shortly before the show was expected to tape that it would not be happening.
In its seven year run, “The Colbert Report” has never suspended taping except to get a playful jab in at Senator John McCain when he suspended his presidential campaign in 2008.
The network’s “The Daily Show,” from which Colbert was spun off has only canceled production twice due to the death of a staff member and when host Jon Stewart became a father.
This suspension comes amidst one of the busiest times for a daily program that achieves its highest ratings during election seasons. Colbert has been especially active this political cycle even starting his own super PAC, “American for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow, which had raised more than $1 million by the end of last month.
Colbert, who typically updates his own social media, has not updated his Twitter account since Tuesday. Fans on Twitter and Facebook have been active in their speculation over what has caused the cancellation, throwing out conspiracy theories from a corporate shut down to a possible illness.