The Emmys provided a moment of catharsis and celebration for late-night fans as Stephen Colbert took the stage for the first time since the shocking cancellation of his show. The comedian, who will host his last episode of The Late Show in May 2026, was met with a massive standing ovation and a chant of his name from the crowd of his Hollywood peers.
Colbert used the moment to deliver a mix of his trademark wit and heartfelt sincerity. While presenting the award for lead actor in a comedy series, he joked, “While I have your attention, is anyone hiring?” before attempting to hand his resume to Harrison Ford in the hopes it would find its way to Steven Spielberg.
But the night’s most poignant moment came later.
A Speech About Love and Loss
When The Late Show won the Emmy for Outstanding Talk Series, Colbert returned to the stage to deliver a powerful and emotional victory speech. He first thanked CBS for “giving us the privilege to be part of the late-night tradition,” a nod to the fact that his show’s cancellation marks the end of a franchise that began with David Letterman in 1993.
But it was his reflections on the show’s decade-long run that truly captivated the audience. “Ten years ago… I’d like to do a late-night comedy show about love,” Colbert recalled. He then pivoted to the show’s evolution, admitting, “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.”
He concluded his speech with a defiant and uplifting message, “Ten years later… 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!”
A Controversial End
The show’s cancellation has not been without controversy. It was announced just days after CBS’s parent company, Paramount, settled a lawsuit with the Trump administration and merged with Skydance Media. Colbert, a frequent critic of President Donald Trump, had his show’s cancellation publicly celebrated by Trump himself, who took to Truth Social to post, “I absolutely love that Colbert got fired.”
Despite the public friction, Colbert and his team have remained focused on their work, and their efforts have been recognized. Just last week, The Late Show won its first Creative Arts Emmy, bringing the show’s total Emmy wins to two. For a show ending its run, the wins feel less like an ending and more like a final celebration of a beloved late-night institution.
