Stephen Colbert Jokes He's Avoiding Jason Bateman After Canceling 'Late Show' Episode

Stephen Colbert had to cancel Thursday's taping of "The Late Show" following his COVID-19 diagnosis.

Colbert confirmed via Twitter Thursday that he tested positive for coronavirus but assured fans that he is doing fine.

"Yep! I tested positive for Covid, but basically, I’m feeling fine- grateful to be vaxxed and boosted," he tweeted. "Thank you for the well wishes."

He went on to joke: "This just proves that I will do anything to avoid interviewing Jason Bateman."

"Ozark" stars Bateman, 53, and Laura Linney, 58, were set to be guests on the now-canceled episode.

The late-night talk show host's diagnosis and the cancellation of Thursday's episode were first announced via his show's official Twitter and Instagram accounts.

"The Late Show" will air reruns Friday and all of next week and will return with new episodes on May 2 "as previously planned," the statement read.

Colbert's followers and fans wished him a speedy recovery and expressed disappointment over having no new episodes of "The Late Show" to look forward to for at least a week.

"I am so sorry. [I] appreciate your honesty and [the] brilliant work you do. Learn everything about Covid-19 now for real," one Twitter user commented. "Humor is a hard job. You are one of the best. That doesn't change. I'm looking forward to your continuing work Mr. Colbert as [a] guy who is not only funny--you give a damn."

"We're really disappointed. We watch you religiously, and we very much wanted to hear your commentary about Marjorie Taylor Greene's hearing tomorrow. Can't you Zoom your show, at least for one day? On the plus side, at least a positive diagnosis is not a death sentence anymore," another fan wrote.

"Drink lots of liquids and please stay alive. I can't live without you!!" another supporter opined.

CBS will replace the planned live broadcast Thursday with a rerun of the episode that originally aired April 15, featuring Josh Brolin and a performance from The Who, Variety reported

The upcoming episodes scheduled to rerun during the upcoming week include guest spots from Jon Batiste, Oscar Isaac, Hannah Gadsby, Sandra Bullock, Anderson Cooper, Molly Shannon, Shaquille O’Neal, Mayim Bialik, Julia Roberts and Rep. Cori Bush, according to the outlet.

Colbert resumed in-person tapings of "The Late Show" in June 2021. He had been filming remotely since March 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the time, audience members were required to show proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 in order to be admitted to the full capacity crowd, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The show's crew would be regularly tested, and masks would be optional for the audience, the report added.

"Over the last 437 days, my staff and crew (and family!) have amazed me with their professionalism and creativity as we made shows for an audience we couldn't see or hear. I look forward to once again doing shows for an audience I can smell and touch," Colbert told the outlet ahead of his return to in-person tapings last year.