NEW YORK — A representative for Stephen Colbert said Sunday “The Colbert Report” will return Monday after a sudden break due to the ailing health of the star’s mother.

The Comedy Central show last week substituted repeats for scheduled shows on Wednesday and Thursday (the show doesn’t air on Friday nights). At the time, the network said only that the cancellations were because of “unforeseen circumstances.”

Colbert is expected to address his absence on Monday. His 91-year-old mother, Lorna Colbert, is ill.

Earlier on Twitter, Colbert thanked those who had offered “thoughts and prayers.”

Colbert’s father, James Colbert, and two of his brothers were killed in an airplane crash in 1974.

“The Colbert Report” airs Monday through Friday at 11:30 p.m./10.30c on Comedy Central.