When reports started circulating this morning that Stephen Colbert was suspending his show for the first time since 2005, the internet went wild with speculations as to why.

Colbert fans on Twitter started to panic that their favorite ironic blowhard had died, been hospitalized, or was banged up in a NJ jail. “Stephen Colbert” and “Colbert Report” have been the hottest Google search terms for most of today.

The Huffington Post has now stemmed the rumor tide by revealing that “the host’s mother is seriously ill, and the show will remain suspended until he can return.”