In return to air, Colbert honors ailing mother FILE- This Thursday, June 30, 2011 file photo shows comedian Stephen Colbert as he appears...

In return to air, Colbert honors ailing mother

FILE- This Thursday, June 30, 2011 file photo shows comedian Stephen Colbert as he appears before the Federal Election Commission in Washington. Comedy Central's "Colbert Report" is currently off the air. An expected live version of the show was replaced by a repeat on Wednesday.

NEW YORK — With a nod of tribute to his ailing mother, Stephen Colbert returned to the air Monday.

Colbert was back hosting "The Colbert Report," which last week mysteriously canceled the tapings of two episodes. Colbert's 91-year-old mother, Lorna Colbert, is ill. And while the comedian didn't address her by name, he offered a "confidential" message to "a lovely lady."

Said Colbert: "Evidently, having 11 children makes you tough as nails."

Colbert is the youngest of 11 children. His father, James Colbert, and two of his brothers were killed in an airplane crash in 1974.

He also comically addressed the rumors stoked by the brief absence of what he called "the hub around which the republic turns."

(Agencies)