The host joked he was on “cold and sinus medication, hot tea, tom yum soup, and enough steroids to be named the Secretary of Health and Human Services.”

Stephen Colbert loses his voice on late night, but the ‘show must go on’

The host joked he was on "cold and sinus medication, hot tea, tom yum soup, and enough steroids to be named the Secretary of Health and Human Services."

By Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and *NME*.

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February 19, 2026 11:35 a.m. ET

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Stephen Colbert. Credit:

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert/Youtube

Not even a bad cold can stop Stephen Colbert. **

The 61-year-old comedian revealed on Wednesday’s episode of *The Late Show* that he was battling a hefty bug that had caused him to almost lose his voice completely. **

“It’s Ash Wednesday, which kicks off the 40 days of Lent with its fasting and its abstinence. Catholics, like myself, are supposed to give something up every year,” Colbert said. “This year, I have apparently given up the ability to speak.”

Colbert hosts 'The Late Show'.

Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty

The hoarse host acknowledged that his “voice is not the best this evening” but that it had been worse when the day started. **

“Right now I’m somewhere between Kathleen Turner and Cookie Monster,” he said. “It’s better than it was when I got here this morning! This morning, I could not talk at all.”

Colbert on 'The Late Show'.

Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty

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But Colbert wasn’t letting any illness keep him away from hosting his Emmy-winning late-night program.**

“I’m on cold and sinus medication, hot tea, tom yum soup, and enough steroids to be named the Secretary of Health and Human Services,” he said. Clapping his hands, he added, “Show must go on!” **

Colbert’s voice continued to improve throughout the episode as he interviewed Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, as well as *Twin Peaks* star Kyle MacLachlan.

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The announcement of Colbert’s illness comes just days after he made headlines for claiming that CBS had blocked him from interviewing Texas Senate candidate Rep. James Talarico out of concern that it would trigger the FCC’s equal time rule, which requires that equal telecast time be given to all of a political interviewee's opponents during an election cycle. **

“He [Talarico] was supposed to be here, but we were told in no uncertain terms by our network’s lawyers — who called us directly — that we could not have him on the broadcast,” Colbert said.

He continued, “Then I was told, in some uncertain terms, that not only could I not have him on, I could not mention me not having him on. And, because my network clearly doesn’t want us to talk about this, let’s talk about this.”**

CBS later issued its own statement in response to Colbert’s claims, which the host read verbatim on Tuesday’s broadcast.

"*The Late Show *was not prohibited by CBS from broadcasting the interview with Rep. James Talarico,” he read. “The show was provided legal guidance that the broadcast could trigger the FCC equal time rule for two other candidates, including Rep. Jasmine Crockett, and presented options for how the equal time for other candidates could be fulfilled. *The Late Show* decided to present the interview through its YouTube channel with on-air promotion on the broadcast rather than potentially providing the equal time options."**

Colbert, in response, noted that he was “well aware that we can book other guests” on the program and expressed his shock that a "global corporation would not stand up to these bullies.”

Watch Colbert discuss losing his voice in the clip above.

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