Stephen Colbert Breaks Silence on 'Colbert Report' Suspension: 'Having 11 Children Makes You Tough as Nails' [VIDEO]

"Before we start the broadcast tonight I just want to address my recent absence from the national conversation; from the hub around which the republic turns," Colbert joked. "I can understand why the machinery of this great nation ground to a halt last week when you were denied this [gestures to his face]. Now I'm sure you felt the same way I do when I'm in a room with no mirrors."

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He then listed some of the "wild rumors" that had surfaced to explain his absence:

• "The Colbert Report" was cancelled by the FCC, by the request of the Federal Election Commission, because he was about to announce his Presidential candidacy. ("Not gonna happen," he said.)

• The show was cancelled because Colbert offended the Catholic church by comparing the Pope's hat "to a giant, yet stylish, prophylactic."

• Colbert went to rehab. ("Always an attractive option, if they have that for Diet Coke," he said.)

• Per an accusation from Joan Rivers, Colbert took time off for plastic surgery.

Before moving on he said: "Evidently, having 11 children makes you tough as nails ... confidential to a lovely lady," and then pointed to his nose in a signature Colbert gesture.

On Thursday, Huffington Post reported that a source "who has a business relationship with [The Colbert Report]" told them Colbert's 91-year-old mother, Lorna Colbert, was "seriously ill."

Colbert had briefly addressed the outpouring of concern via Twitter on Feb. 17. "My family and I would like to thank everyone who has offered their thoughts and prayers," Colbert tweeted. "We are grateful and touched by your concern."

Colbert reportedly has a close relationship with his mother, and devoted a segment of a 2008 show to her, corresponding with Mother's Day.

The Colbert family suffered a devastating tragedy when Stephen was ten years old: On Sept. 11, 1974, Colbert's father James, along with two of Stephen's brothers, were killed in a plane crash. (Colbert is one of 11 children born to James and Lorna Colbert).

When it came up in a 2005 interview for the New York Times Magazine, Colbert said, "I don't generally talk about it."

He discussed the tragedy again in a 2009 interview for CBS News. When reporter Daniel Schorn suggested that comedians sometimes turn to humor to cope with painful experiences, Colbert didn't argue.

"I think I did my best to cheer my mom up," he said.

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