Colbert’s “The Late Show” Wins Emmy in New Variety Series Category
LOS ANGELES — CBS’ “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” which concluded its 11-year run in May, has clinched the Emmy Award in the newly combined variety series category.
Colbert and his team were warmly received by the audience as they took the stage to accept the award, which included five Emmys for directing, writing, lighting, editing, and technical direction during the ceremony earlier this month.
In his acceptance speech, Colbert expressed gratitude to his young staff, his wife, Evelyn Green, and many guests who had appeared on the show. Interestingly, he did not mention his ongoing feud with former President Donald Trump. Colbert was often a target of Trump’s criticisms due to his biting comedic commentary during his monologues, with Trump repeatedly calling for the cancellation of Colbert’s show and that of fellow nominee Jimmy Kimmel, dubbing them both as untalented and low-rated.
Trump even took to social media to claim credit when CBS announced it would be canceling “The Late Show” in 2025 due to financial challenges.
Other nominees in the category included HBO’s “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” and NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.” Last month, Colbert encouraged Emmy members to vote for Kimmel, who had previously supported Colbert’s candidacy for the award.
The Television Academy recently merged talk shows and scripted variety series into a single category. While “The Late Show” won the Emmy for talk series in 2025, “Last Week Tonight” was awarded the trophy for scripted variety series.
