Stephen Colbert addresses backlash over Kate Middleton jokes he made before her cancer announcement

Stephen Colbert has addressed the backlash he received to jokes made about Kate Middleton before she announced she was receiving cancer treatment.

The Princess of Wales revealed on 22 March that she is receiving preventative treatment after undergoing an operation which found cancer had been present in her body.

Her announcement came after weeks of speculation about her whereabouts, with many social media users sharing theories about why Middleton had not been seen in public since December 2023.

Colbert was among those who commented on the topic during an episode of The Late Show on 13 March, when he said: "The Kingdom has been all a flutter about the seeming disappearance of Kate Middleton."

The host drew attention to one theory which alleged Middleton's husband, Prince William, may have been unfaithful to her, and cited a tabloid story which claimed 'Kate supposedly confronted him about it, he laughed it off, saying there was nothing to it'.

Colbert then joked: "Always a good response when your wife accuses you of cheating.”

The host was unaware of Middleton's diagnosis when he made the comments, but they still drew backlash from viewers who slammed him for making light of Middleton's private life.

One viewer described Colbert as 'absolutely disgusting' for making the comments, while another said he was 'awful'.

When Colbert hosted his show again on 25 March, he addressed his earlier comments.

“We do a lot of shows," he began. "I tell a lot of jokes. I tell jokes about a lot of different things, mostly about what everybody is talking about.

“For the last six weeks to two months, everybody has been talking about the mystery of Kate Middleton’s disappearance from public life. Two weeks ago, we did some jokes about that mystery."

Colbert continued: "When I made those jokes, that upset some people…even before her diagnosis was revealed. I can understand that a lot of my jokes have upset people in the past and some of my jokes will upset people in the future, but there’s a standard that I try to hold myself to, and that is I do not make light of somebody else’s tragedy.”

Colbert went on to say that he didn't know 'if her prognosis is a tragic one', but continued: "Regardless of what it is, far too many of us know that any cancer diagnosis of any kind is harrowing for the patient and for their family.

"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.”

Middleton has not confirmed what type of cancer she is receiving treatment for, and told the public she and her family need 'time, space and privacy' while she completes the treatment.