Melania Trump was finally spotted at the White House, but Stephen Colbert is still flummoxed

Melania Trump has been laying low since May 10, four days before her kidney operation, and "as of the time we're taping the show right now, the first lady has not been seen in public for 25 days," Stephen Colbert said on Monday's Late Show. "Well, I'm not surprised — it took that Shawshank guy years to tunnel out." The first lady's Twitter account insisted she was fine in late May, but "I have my doubts that Melania wrote that," he said. "For one thing, Michelle Obama never said it in a speech."

"This is just weird," Colbert said. "We're used to our first ladies being out and about. Nancy Reagan was always out there telling kids to just say no, Michelle Obama would sometimes just show up in people's living rooms and tell them to drop and give her 20. Even Martha Washington had more pictures of herself — and remember, back then the paparazzi were oil painters." Now, "Melania is supposedly re-emerging to attend an event in the White House tonight, but who can be sure, because the event will be closed to the press," he said, and he had a guess what the White House proof-of-Melania photo might look like.

Melania Trump did attend Monday night's candlelight ceremony to honor fallen military service members, attendees tell The Washington Post, though she did not say anything. President Trump nodded to her public absence, getting a laugh by quashing rumors they were breaking up and explaining that "Melania had a little problem a couple weeks ago, but she wouldn't miss this for anything." The White House did, it turns out, release some photos of the first lady, and none involved a broom wearing a dress.

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