John Oliver jokes Kate Middleton may have ‘died’: The palace could be pulling a ‘Weekend at Bernie’s’

John Oliver has joined in on #KateGate.

During an appearance on “Watch What Happens Live” Tuesday, host Andy Cohen asked the British comedian about “what the f–k is going on” with Kate Middleton as she continues to stay out of the public eye following her abdominal surgery in January.

Oliver, 46, said he was initially staying away from all the conspiracy theories surrounding the Princess of Wales’ absence until her Photoshopped Mother’s Day pic took the internet by storm.

“I thought, ‘Let’s all just ignore this, we’ve moved on’ — until the Photoshop thing,” he admitted. “It feels like you’re almost handling badly in an impressive way at this point.”

During an appearance on “Watch What Happens Live” Tuesday, host Andy Cohen asked the British comedian “what the f–k is going on” with the royal as she continues to stay out of the public eye following her abdominal surgery in January. Watch What Happens Live! / BravoTV Oliver said he was initially staying away from all the conspiracy theories surrounding the Princess of Wales’ absence until her Photoshopped Mother’s Day pic took the internet by storm. Watch What Happens Live! / BravoTV

Cohen, 55, said he was skeptical about Middleton’s apology after she was slammed for editing the family photo.

“Isn’t their motto: never complain, never explain? And they had ‘her’ explaining on Twitter?” the Bravo host said.

Oliver replied, “There’s a non-zero chance she died 18 months ago. They might be ‘Weekend at Bernie’s’–ing this situation.”

“There’s a non-zero chance she died 18 months ago. They might be ‘Weekend at Bernie’s’-ing this situation,” Oliver said. Watch What Happens Live! / BravoTV Middleton has been the center of conspiracy theories since she was released from the hospital following her surgery in January. Getty Images

“I’m not saying it happened! I’m saying it’s nonzero until proven otherwise. Until you see her with a copy of today’s newspaper.”

Middleton has been the center of conspiracy theories since she was released from the hospital following her surgery in January.

---

More must-see royals coverage:

How Prince Harry and Meghan Markle metPrince William and Kate Middleton’s relationship timelineRoyal family tree and line of succession

---

The palace has been mum about what Middleton’s surgery was treating and a rep for the mom of three told Page Six exclusively last month that she was “doing well” and they would not provide additional updates unless “significant.”

On Sunday, Middleton posted a snap of herself with her and Prince William’s children — Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5 — in honor of Mother’s Day.

The palace has been mum about what Middleton’s surgery was treating. Getty Images A rep for the mom of three told Page Six exclusively last month that she was “doing well” and they would not provide additional updates unless “significant.” Getty Images

However, several eagle-eyed fans saw that the image was heavily edited and several photo agencies even released a “kill notice” message notification regarding the altered photo.

“At closer inspection it appears that the source has manipulated the image,” a message from the Associated Press (AP) Reuters read.

After facing backlash for the picture, Middleton released an apology on X, writing that she was the one behind the editing.

On Sunday, Middleton posted an edited snap of herself and Prince William’s children in honor of Mother’s Day. Prince of Wales/Kensington Palac / MEGA After facing backlash for the picture, Middleton released an apology on X, writing that she was the one behind the editing. Getty Images Kensington Palace has refused to release the unedited version of the picture. Getty Images

“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused,” she tweeted from the official Prince and Princess of Wales account.

“I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day. C.”

Despite Middleton’s admission of guilt, Kensington Palace has refused to release the unedited version of the picture.