CBS star Stephen Colbert had appendix surgery, was not arrested by JAGs | Fact check

Joedy McCreary, USA TODAY
·2 min read
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The claim: Stephen Colbert was arrested by JAG

A Nov. 28 story by Real Raw News claims a late-night talk show host was taken into custody by military judicial officers.

"JAG Arrests Stephen Colbert," reads the post's headline.

The story says Colbert was brought to a processing center and will be the first detainee at "JAG’s new detainment center on Guam."

The post was shared on Facebook more than 200 times in two days, according to social media analytics tool CrowdTangle.

More from the USA TODAY Fact Check Team:

Our rating: False

Spokespeople for both CBS and the Pentagon said the claim is false. The story was posted on a website that routinely publishes false claims about the arrests of high-profile figures.

'Unequivocally false' claim of ‘Late Show’ host’s arrest

CBS aired reruns of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" during the week of Nov. 27. But that was because its star had appendix surgery, not because he was arrested.

The claim is “unequivocally false,” CBS spokesperson Lauren Kamm told USA TODAY.

Pentagon spokesperson Tim Gorman also said the article is baseless.

“There is no truth to this rumor,” Gorman said in an email to USA TODAY.

In addition, the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps, or JAG, is a group of lawyers that advises Army officials and defends the Army and soldiers in military legal matters. It's not an agency that would conduct civilian arrests.

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Colbert posted to Threads and Instagram on Nov. 27 that tapings of his nightly talk show were canceled that week because his appendix ruptured and he was recovering from surgery. Those posts were made two days after his supposed arrest. He posted online several more times in the following days.

No reputable news organizations have reported a Colbert arrest, and there is no mention of it on the Department of Defense's website.

Real Raw News is a serial spreader of misinformation that often publishes fabricated stories about "white hats" trying to undermine "the deep state" and arresting government officials and other high-profile people. USA TODAY has previously debunked numerous other claims about the arrests of notable figures stemming from Real Raw News.

USA TODAY reached out to Real Raw News but did not immediately receive a response.

Lead Stories also debunked the claim.

Our fact-check sources:

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: False claim CBS host Stephen Colbert was arrested by JAGs | Fact check