Stephen Colbert backpedals on Kate Middleton jokes following cancer revelation

On Monday night’s The Late Show, Colbert struck a somber tone and expressed remorse for recent zingers he told related to Middleton’s highly-publicized Photoshop fail.

“I tell a lot of jokes,” Colbert said. “And for the last six weeks to two months, everybody has been talking about the mystery of Kate Middleton’s disappearance from public life.”

He explained that two weeks ago, he made some jokes about the situation, intimating Prince William was cheating on her. “When I made those jokes, that upset some people — even before her diagnosis was revealed,” he said.

“I do not make light of someone else’s tragedy,” he continued, adding, “Far too many of us know that any cancer diagnosis of any kind is harrowing for the patient and for their family.”

The Emmy winner closed his comments by saying, “Though I’m sure they don’t need it from me, I and everyone here at The Late Show, would like to extend our well wishes and heartfelt hope that her recovery is swift and thorough.”

When Middleton revealed to the world that she was undergoing cancer treatment, other celebs took to social media to make similar apologies for joking about the Princess Kate headlines, including Blake Lively, and Alyssa Farah Griffin, Sara Haines, Ana Navarro and Sunny Hostin from The View.