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The first shred of information about why the taping of the Colbert Report was suspended this week has been reported by the The Wall Street Journal and it's not happy. Sam Schechner reports that the decision to cancel Wednesday and Thursday's tapings was due to "an emergency in Mr. Colbert’s family." The brief statement issued by Comedy Central blamed an "unforeseen circumstances." The Colbert Report has never canceled a show since it started airing in 2005, but the two times when Jon Stewart's The Daily Show has been suspended suggest that the decision is never made lightly. The Daily Show has cancelled once for the birth of Stewart's second child, once after the sudden death of a staff member.

Update 3:44 p.m.: The Associated Press has now also spoken to a source close to the show and reports, "new episodes are expected to return soon."

Update 4:08p.m.: The Huffington Post reports Colbert's mom is seriously ill, according to someone who has "a business relationship" with the Report.

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