Stephen Colbert reminded us this week of the previous big thing to shut down the entertainment industry before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes — the pandemic. Colbert announced that his Late Show would unfortunately have to shut down for the remainder of the week as he recovers from a COVID-19 diagnosis.

Colbert, who had been doing pandemic-era virtual style shows thus far this week, made the announcement on his X (formerly Twitter) account. “Sorry to say, per doctor’s orders, I’m going to be out for the rest of the week.”

“Resting up,” Colbert continued, “so that I can deliver the hand crafted, artisanal talk show that we so enjoy serving you. In the meantime, a heady blend of Paxlovid and onions in my socks (thank you, Fallon) will be rebuilding my immune system.”

The onions, and the Jimmy Fallon shout out, were a reference to an inside joke discussed on Strike Force Five, the strike fundraiser comedy podcast co-hosted by the five major late night hosts — Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and John Oliver.

COVID also recently afflicted another of the Strike Force Five members, Jimmy Kimmel. There was supposed to be a Strike Force live event in Las Vegas last month feature Colbert, Fallon and Kimmel, but Kimmel's diagnosis forced them to cancel the event.

The news is a good reminder that Covid is still out there and it's a good idea to take precautions. If The Late Show is able to return to production next week, Stephen Colbert will welcome such guests as Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez and musician Arlo Parks.