Stephen Colbert is deaf in his right ear due to a botched surgery!

Stephen Colbert is a well known political satirist and comedian. He hosts his own hit show, "The Colbert Report," where he plays a satirized version of a conservative political pundit.

Colbert studied at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL and got his comedic start working as Steve Carrell's understudy at Chicago's Second City Theater.

Colbert hadn't always wanted to be a comedian and television host though. In his adolescence he wanted to pursue a career in marine biology (how is it that everyone wants to do that when they're young?). However, he had to undergo surgery for a severely perforated ear drum.

The surgery itself actually caused inner ear damage - so much so that Colbert would never be able to scuba dive (scuba diving involves equalizing the pressure in your ears while you descend into deeper water). This surgery also left him deaf in his right ear.

(Source)