Stephen Colbert Fights Back Tears As He Mourns Loss of 'Late Show' Staffer

Stephen Colbert was choked up as he mourned the loss of his longtime executive assistant, Amy Cole.

The heartbreaking news came at the end of Monday's episode of 'The Late Show' ... and you can see Stephen struggling to talk, and looking somber as he walked off stage before a black title card popped up, saying, "Dedicated to our dear friend Amy Cole, 1970-2024."

LateNighter reports audience members who were at the taping mentioned the show started with the usual fun and games. But then, out of nowhere, things took a serious turn.

Stephen asked the crowd to hold their applause, and you could tell he was struggling to find the right words to say.

The audience didn't see the title card, so when Stephen walked off stage visibly upset, there was a stunned silence. The taping ended abruptly just over a minute later, leaving everyone in shock.

Amy passed away the day earlier on Sunday at age 53. According to her obituary, she died "peacefully" on March 31 after a "brief illness."

Many 'Late Night' staffers paid tribute to Cole, and some mentioned she'd recently battled cancer.

Show writer Brian Stack said on X, saying, "Amy was one of the warmest, loveliest people I've ever been lucky enough to know and work with."

Meanwhile, Director and producer Jake Plunkett echoed that sentiment, expressing, "Words cannot measure how big a loss Amy Cole is to this world. F*** cancer."