Colin Mochrie, the comedian famous for the TV show Whose Line Is It Anyway?, has cancelled upcoming live performances due to requiring emergency eye surgery.
The comedian, who featured on the British version of the long-running improv show for nine years, and the US version for a combined 18 years, was announced to be stepping away from upcoming performances of his touring show Hyprov: Improv Under Hypnosis, with Asad Mecci.
“We regret to inform you that our upcoming shows will be postponed due to a medical situation involving Colin Mochrie,” a post on January 2 confirmed. “Colin has been diagnosed with a detached retina and will be undergoing emergency eye surgery today. His medical team is optimistic about his full recovery, but he needs time to rest and heal.”
On January 5, Mochrie himself provided a post-surgery update. “Just a quick update to let you know that I’m still in treatments for my detached retina,” he wrote.
“It’s slow going but moving in the right direction. Your support and well wishes have really meant everything.” He ended by joking: “If anyone out there is making a remake of Popeye, I’m your man. You’ll just have to wait till I’m allowed to get out of bed.”
Mochrie appeared in all 21 seasons and 431 episodes of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, an American remake of the beloved UK show which ran from 1991-99. Drew Carey was the initial host from seasons 1-8, with Aisha Tyler taking over for the revival, which ran from 2013-2024.
Tyler shot to fame for playing Charlie, the first Black recurring character on the sitcom Friends. In 2024, she reflected on her time with the show, which has received criticism in recent years for its lack of diversity.
“At the time, people talked quite a bit about the fact that, for a show that was set in the heart of Manhattan, it really lacked diversity” she told The Independent. “But we didn’t have social media back then, so it wasn’t the large-scale conversation that it became later.”
English (US) · 