Emmy Win for Colbert’s ‘The Late Show’ Comes as Cancellation Nears
Stephen Colbert’s “The Late Show” took home its first Emmy for Outstanding Talk Series, a bittersweet win coming as the show faces cancellation.
CBS announced in May that the long-running late-night program would end at the close of its current season, citing financial reasons, though executives insisted the decision had nothing to do with the show’s performance or content, according to a statement from CBS Chief Executive George Cheeks.
In his acceptance speech, Colbert reflected on the journey of hosting the show, recalling a conversation with producer Spike Jonze from 10 years ago: “I don’t know how you could do it, but I’d kind of like to do a late night comedy show that was about love.”
He continued, “I don’t know if I ever figured that out, but at a certain point…I realized that in some ways, we were doing a late night comedy show about loss. And that’s related to love, because sometimes you only truly know how much you love something when you get a sense that you might be losing it.”
Stephen Colbert on continuing "The Late Show" through the series' end in May 2026: "I want to land this plane absolutely beautifully and I got nothing else on my mind." https://t.co/0emk2YYzuz pic.twitter.com/IbzI1EXnQ7
— Variety (@Variety) September 15, 2025
Colbert ended on a heartfelt note, saying, “And 10 years later, in September of 2025, my friends, I have never loved my country more desperately. God bless America. Stay strong. Be brave, and if the elevator tries to bring you down, go crazy and punch a higher floor.”
The Emmy victory came after a long road of near misses for the show. Before this year, “The Late Show” had been nominated nine times for Outstanding Talk Series but never won.
It had also claimed over 30 Emmy nominations in total, earning its first Creative Arts Emmy for directing earlier in the month. The show competed this year against “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and defending champion “The Daily Show.”
CBS’s decision to end the show came amid other corporate matters, including the pending sale of Paramount to Skydance Media and a $16 million settlement related to a lawsuit from former President Trump over edits to a “60 Minutes” segment.
Colbert had openly joked about the situation on his show, calling the settlement a “big fat bribe” and quipping, “As someone who has always been a proud employee of this network, I am offended. And I don’t know if anything will ever repair my trust in this company. But just taking a stab at it, I’d say $16 million would help.”
Despite the cancellation, Colbert’s popularity remained strong. His show has ranked number one among broadcast late-night programs for nine straight seasons, and he has attracted a loyal following with his political humor and cultural commentary.
CBS originally launched its late-night block in 1993 with David Letterman, and Colbert has hosted “The Late Show” for 10 years after taking over from Letterman. He previously spent nine years on Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report,” where he portrayed a satirical political pundit.
Colbert’s night at the Emmys started with a memorable moment as he presented the first award of the evening, receiving a standing ovation. He joked about looking for work and handed a dated headshot to Harrison Ford to pass along to Steven Spielberg, showing his signature mix of humor and humility.
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