Stephen Colbert's 'Apology' for 'Hurtful' Kate Middleton Joke Falls Flat With Netizens: 'Jerk'

Stephen Colbert of The Late Show fame found himself in hot waters when he made a joke at the expense of the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, after her withdrawal from official duties (which fueled a frenzy of conspiracy theories about the Princess' health and her husband's possible affair). However, the comedian's attempt to apologize for the same after Middleton made a public announcement about her battling cancer didn't sit well with royal experts and netizens.

In a recent episode of his show, Colbert addressed the fact that some viewers had found his previous remarks about Middleton's health and Prince William's alleged affair quite offensive. In an attempt to apologize, Colbert stated, "There’s a standard that I try to hold myself to, and that is I do not make light of somebody else’s tragedy. Far too many of us know that any cancer diagnosis of any kind is harrowing for the patient and for their family." He continued, "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," as reported by The Express.

Colbert's apology, however, didn't feel sincere to many. One person on X wrote, "Could Stephen Colbert be anymore of a jerk??? This is misleading rambling, NOT an apology of any kind." Another chimed in, stating, "Colbert has always been a jerk. His fans are jerks. This type of "sadistic humor" that Cobert puts out is the type that jerks love. This is why he had "Jerk Harry" on his show." While another person said, "He will never get any type of invite. He’s no where near her league. It’s going to be interesting for his career. 🤔"

It wasn't just people on the internet who voiced their disappointment at Colbert's apparent lack of an apology. "I haven’t seen the full clip but if this is an accurate transcript, apologizes may be a stretch, full of regret just about right," said Richard Palmer, a former royal correspondent for the Daily Express, on X. Royal commentator Victoria Arbiter agreed with Palmer, and explained that the TV host didn't fully apologize to the Princess of Wales, "It smacks of 'I’m sorry you chose to be upset by my jokes.' He had to throw in a line about her getting the best care because of who she is. An actual apology to the parties involved would have been far more convincing."

Colbert had previously maintained that Middleton's disappearance was due to her husband's infidelity. According to Yahoo! News, he asserted, "The Kingdom has been all a flutter about the seeming disappearance of Kate Middleton. Well now, internet sleuths are guessing that Kate’s absence may be related to her husband and the future King of England, William, having an affair." Additionally, he specified the 'other woman' as Rose Hanbury, who first surfaced in 2019. He added, "According to tabloids back then, when Kate supposedly confronted him about it, he laughed it off, saying there was nothing to it. Always a good response when your wife accuses you of cheating."

Shocked by the growing speculations, Hanbury refuted the reports of an affair. Her attorneys filed a letter to CBS stating that the accusations were untrue, "The rumor appears to have entered into the mainstream media recently as a result of another joke made about it on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert...We have written on our client’s behalf to CBS and various other reputable media organizations to confirm that the allegation is false." Subsequently, The View co-hosts also apologized for their share of jokes over Middleton's public absence, which people perceived as sincere as opposed to Colbert's.