Stephen Colbert Became Deaf in One Ear Following a Botched Childhood Surgery

Stephen Colbert has had his own show on one network or another for 20 years, but we've now learned that The Late Show will be ending in May of 2026. Now, many are wondering where Stephen might end up when his time at CBS is over.

Even as the speculation about Stephen's future has continued to ramp up, many are also noticing that one of his ears seems to be sitting at a slightly odd angle. Here's what we know about why.

Stephen's ear sticks out at an odd angle because of complications he had around it when he was just a kid. At the time, he had surgery that was meant to fix a perforated eardrum but wound up leaving him deaf in that ear for life.

"I had this weird tumour as a kid," Colbert explained to The New Yorker in 2005, "and they scooped it out with a melon baller."

That injury actually changed the course of his life, as it diverted him from an early interest in marine biology after he realized that he would be unable to scuba dive. Otherwise, though, it hasn't seemed to hugely limit his ability to succeed in comedy, and although it's his right ear that is most closely facing his interview subjects, he always seems to be able to hear them just fine.

Although most comedians don't forefront their faith, Stephen has always been open about the fact that his religious beliefs are core to how he sees the world. Stephen credits his mother for instilling this faith in him.

"She taught me to be grateful for my life regardless of what that entailed, and that's directly related to the image of Christ on the cross and the example of sacrifice that he gave us," Stephen told The New York Times in 2012.

Of course, Stephen has been remarkably successful over the course of his life, and it seems like he might even view his childhood ear injury as a step on his path toward where he ultimately arrived. Regardless of his exact perspective on the ear issues, though, it's clear that they have not gotten in the way of the career that he's had to date.

Now that he's done at CBS, it's possible that Stephen could wind up hosting a late-night show in some other place, or that he could simply decide to retire quietly and step away from entertainment altogether. Whatever he ultimately decides, though, he's going to have plenty of support from an army of fans.

Stephen has had one of the most impressive careers in television of anyone this century, and the ending of The Late Show is not at all a reflection on his performance. Whatever he does next, even if it's nothing at all, plenty of people are going to be eager to hear from him.