'No humility': Stephen Colbert slammed for expressing regret but no apology over Kate Middleton jokes
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY: US talk show host Stephen Colbert has stirred controversy by not issuing an apology for the jokes he made about the Princess of Wales, despite addressing the backlash he received after her cancer diagnosis.
During his appearance on 'The Late Show' on CBS last night, the 59-year-old comedian stated that he does not intend to trivialize anyone's tragedy.
As per the Daily Mail, he however fell short of directly apologizing to Kate, who has recently been targeted by cruel conspiracy theories.
Colbert addresses controversy over jokes about Kate Middleton's health
Colbert, known for his anti-monarchist views, acknowledged that his jokes had "upset some people" and recognized "any cancer diagnosis of any kind is harrowing for the patient and for their family."
The host, who had previously made jokes about Kate's 'disappearance,' also expressed his and the entire program's sincere well wishes and hopes for her speedy and complete recovery.
During a monologue on the recent show, he opened by acknowledging the nature of his work, stating, "You know, folks, I don't know if you have noticed, but we do a lot of shows and I tell a lot of jokes, and I tell jokes about a lot of different things, mostly what everybody's talking about."
He then addressed the recent discussions surrounding Kate Middleton's health, saying, "And for the last six weeks to two months, everybody has been talking about the mystery of Kate Middleton's disappearance from the public life. We did some jokes about that mystery and all of the reporting about that."
He continued, "And when I made those jokes, that upset some people — even before Kate's cancer diagnosis was revealed, and I can understand that."
"I mean, a lot of my jokes have upset people in the past. And I'm sure some of my jokes will upset people in the future. But there is a standard that I try to hold myself to. And that is, I do not make light of somebody else's tragedy," he clarified.
Colbert added, "Now, I don't know whether her prognosis is a tragic one, she is the future Queen of England and I assume she's going to be getting the best possible medical care, but regardless of what it is, I know and I'm sure many of you, far too many of us know that any cancer diagnosis of any kind is harrowing for the patient and for their family."
"And, 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," he concluded.
Social media reacts to Colbert's remarks on Kate Middleton
In wake of these recent updates, social media lit up with reactions to Colbert's remarks, with several condemning his views.
One person wrote, "He is another hater and his audience applauds everything he says."
Another noted on facebook, "Stephen Colbert has no class and no soul. An egotistical late night show host who is neither funny nor clever. He and his program is symptomatic of just how bad and un-intertaining late night television has become."
"When faced with the right thing to do , just as the Harkles do, they will not and never will step up to the plate. No humility in anything he does," one comment read.
"Funny man , love his show... But you know if it was Colbert's wife "Effy"... He would not react that way .... In fact if someone said it about his wife?...he would be so offended bet he would want an apology... I had cancer it was nothing to joke about," fumed one viewer.
"Get this piece of work off the raider," said another comment, while someone else said, "Reason I never watch him. He says hurtful hateful things."
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