Stephen Colbert’s ‘The Late Show’ wins Emmy for talk series as cancellation looms

Stephen Colbert’s “The Late Show” just won its first Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Series, a significant achievement especially after recent news of the show’s cancellation.

It was so touching hearing Stephen Colbert talk about how ‘The Late Show’ started! He shared that when he first talked to producer Spike Jonze ten years ago, he said he wanted to try something different – a late-night comedy show focused on love. It really stuck with me, and it’s something I think he’s truly achieved.

I never really came to terms with it, but eventually I realized our late-night comedy show was, in a way, about dealing with loss. And that connects to love, because you often only understand how much you care for something when you fear losing it, as Colbert explained.

Ten years from now, in September 2025, I’ve never felt more passionately about my country,” he stated. “God bless America. Stay strong, be courageous, and if you’re facing difficulties, fight back with everything you’ve got.”

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Commentary: Stephen Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ is canceled, but he won’t go quietly into that goodnight

CBS revealed on Thursday that ‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ will conclude in 2026. This announcement comes as its parent company, Paramount, is exploring a potential sale to Skydance, raising questions about the timing of the decision.

“The Late Show” won an award despite competing against “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and the previous winner, “The Daily Show.” This victory comes shortly after CBS announced it would be ending the show in May due to financial concerns. CBS leaders stated the cancellation wasn’t related to the show’s quality or content, and wasn’t connected to any other issues within the company.

Other issues involved the potential sale of Paramount to David Ellison’s Skydance Media, which needed government approval, and a $16 million settlement with former President Trump over a dispute regarding a segment on “60 Minutes”.

Just days before the cancellation was announced, Stephen Colbert criticized the company’s decision on his show, calling it a blatant payoff. He jokingly expressed his disappointment, saying, “As a long-time employee, I’m offended, and it will take a lot to regain my trust – maybe around $16 million.”

Stephen Colbert has consistently and publicly criticized the president, gaining a dedicated following through his unique brand of humor and insightful commentary on current events. While advertising income has decreased recently, the show continues to attract a large audience and has been the top-rated late-night broadcast program for nine years in a row.

Television

After President Trump publicly celebrated the end of ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,’ Colbert responded with a critical statement. Fellow late-night hosts like Jon Stewart and John Oliver have voiced their support for Colbert.

I was genuinely surprised by the news that CBS is ending its late-night run – it’s a huge shift for a show that’s been so influential. It all started back in ’93 when David Letterman jumped ship from NBC, and CBS built a whole night around him. Now, after ten years of Stephen Colbert at the helm, it’s coming to an end. Before that, of course, Colbert spent nine years brilliantly skewering the news as a character on Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report,” which really launched him into the spotlight. It’s the end of an era, honestly.

Even though “The Late Show” is a popular program, it hadn’t won an Emmy for best talk series despite being nominated nine times. Before this month, the show had received over 30 Emmy nominations overall without a win. However, it finally won its first Emmy last Sunday for outstanding directing in a variety series.

Stephen Colbert received a great round of applause when he kicked off the awards show by presenting the first award. He jokingly asked if anyone was looking to hire him, then pulled out an old photo and asked Harrison Ford to show it to Steven Spielberg.

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2025-09-15 06:02