‘At the Movies With Ebert & Roeper’ (2007-present)
Ebert developed cancer in his jaw and had surgery to remove part of his jaw. Weeks later, his carotid artery burst and he nearly died. He had to undergo several procedures in order survive, including a tracheotomy that robbed him of his ability to speak.
While Ebert was gone from the show, Roeper co-hosted with a series of celebrity fill-ins, including Jay Leno, Kevin Smith and John Mellencamp. Eventually Chicago Tribune film critic Michael Phillips became the permanent fill-in for Ebert. (Paul Drinkwater / AP)
After being out of the public eye for nearly a year, Roger Ebert made a public appearance in 2007 at his annual Overlooked Film Festival in Champaign, Ill. He was unable to speak, but he was able to give his trademarked thumbs-up. The symbol hasn’t been on the show, however; after a dispute with Disney, Ebert and Siskel’s widow revoked permission to use the thumbs-up and thumbs-down on the show. (Seth Perlman / Associated Press)
