Fans who tuned in to the “The Colbert Report” on Wednesday night saw a different side to the typically sarcastic parody news broadcaster. Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert delivered a tribute to his mom on-air just a week after she passed away.

Colbert’s mother Lorna Tuck Colbert passed away on June 19 at 92 years old.  Colbert held back tears during the show while sharing stories about his mom.   “I know it may sound greedy to want more days with a person who lived so long,” he said. “But the fact that my mother was 92 does not diminish it; it only magnifies the enormity of the room whose door has now quietly shut.”  Colbert also thanked all of his friends, fans and other acquaintances who sent along prayers and well wishes.

During the newscast, Colbert talked about how his mom, who was a homemaker, raised up 11 children in Charleston, South Carolina.  “She made a very loving home for us,” Colbert said.  The funny man went on to talk about how his mom is where he got his start as an actor and comedian. “She had trained as an actress when she was younger and she would teach us how to do stage falls by pretending to faint on the kitchen floor.”

This isn’t the first time Colbert and his family have been through a trying time.  When he was 10 years old, his father and two of his brothers died in a plane crash in Charlotte, leaving behind his mother and several children to care for.  Considering that he lost one parent at such a young age, that had to make the bond between him and his mother even stronger.

Even though the tribute was clearly emotionally trying for Colbert, as he had to hold back tears often and take moments to gather himself, he still added a little bit of humor as he remembered his mother.  “She met my father, James, at age 12 at cotillion, and she liked him, but she didn’t want him to know how much.  And evidently, she drove my father crazy because they married and had 11 children.”

Lorna was a big fan of her son’s work and Colbert said that during their last interaction together, she promised to tune in to the show.  “When I was leaving her last week, I leaned over and I said, ‘Mom, I’m going back to New York to do the show,’ and she said, ‘I can’t wait to see it. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.'”