78th PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS — Pictured: Cast and crew including Ariel Dumas, Opus Moreschi, Lauren Marcello, Sara Vilkomerson, Gabriel W Gronli, Stephen Colbert, Paul Dinello, Bjoern Stejskal, Tanya Michnevich Bracco, Matt Lappin, Michael R Brumm and Aaron Cohen accept the Outstanding Variety Series Award for “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on stage during the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards held at the Peacock Theater on September 14, 2026. — (Photo by: Trae Patton/NBC via Getty Images)
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The Late Show with Stephen Colbert won Outstanding Variety Series tonight at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, held at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles.
The CBS late-night show received a standing ovation as Colbert and his team walked onstage for the final time, earning its sixth and final Emmy Award (it had won five at the Creative Emmy Awards last weekend). After eleven years and 1,801 episodes, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ended its run in May of this year.
Colbert thanked his crew and team of writers – including his head writer Ariel Dumas, who wrote the jokes for tonight’s Emmy Awards- highlighting their writing and comedy skills. He tells the audience, “The thing about these late shows is that, besides bringing a really good, steady job, is that they require so many people that they’re a fantastic incubator for young people to come in to learn to work professionally on a deadline in cooperation – in collaboration, and that is the future of our business that we have to look after. I want you to know I got some great news: They are all [technically available]. Hire them; they will make your show better, and they will make your day easier.”
Colbert noted that he had interviewed “at least a thousand of you” in the room, and thanked them for the last 21 years – on The Late Show and his Comedy Central satirical series, The Colbert Report (2005 – 2014).
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 14: Stephen Colbert and crew, winners of the Outstanding Variety Series Award for “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert”, pose in the press room during the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards at Peacock Theater on September 14, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
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“Thank you for coming on to talk to this idiot,” he states. “I want you to know that you were the perfect guest. The segment went great, and I’m sorry I forgot to play your clip.”
He then thanks his most staunch supporter, his wife, Evie McGee. She currently serves as vice president of Spartina Industries, the production company she co-founded with her husband. He tells her, “But of course, there can only be one favorite guest, and that is my wife, Evie McGee. Thank you, darling.”
At the end of his speech, he addresses the viewers at home, thanking them for their support over the years.
“I want to say to the audience, thank you so much for watching,” he says, visibly emotional. “We hope you enjoyed the show. We had a great time doing it for you. That’s it. Thank you. We’ll catch you all on the flip.”
The cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert marks the end of an era, after the franchise ran for three decades. David Letterman hosted it from 1993 until his retirement in May 2015. They then announced Colbert as his replacement, and he started in September 2015. Colbert has a total of 12 Emmy Awards under his name, including for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Colbert Report, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert & Specials.
When CBS first announced that the series would end in spring 2026, it said it was following the expiration of Colbert’s contract and cited financial losses as the reason. The decision surprised many, as the show had consistently delivered strong ratings and popularity in the late-night lineup. George Cheeks, who was then co-CEO of Paramount Global during the cancellation period and is now Paramount’s Chair of TV Media, cited during the August 2025 Paramount-Skydance deal press conference, “The challenge in late night is that the advertising marketplace is in significant secular decline. We are huge fans of Colbert; we love the show, unfortunately the economics made it a challenge for us to keep going.”
Stephen Colbert wins the Outstanding Variety Series Award for “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and the Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series Award for The Late Show digital/online program “Colbert Before Air” at the 78th Emmy Awards held at Peacock Theater on September 14, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto Rodriguez/Deadline via Getty Images)
Deadline via Getty Images
Colbert challenged those statements on air, calling it a “big fat bribe” during his monologue. Colbert had been a strong opponent of the Trump administration and challenged the politicians during his series of monologues. He relayed, Paramount’s owners are trying to get the Trump administration to approve the sale of our network to a new owner, Skydance.”
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert won four awards during the Creative Arts Emmys the previous weekend, including Outstanding Writing For A Variety Series, Outstanding Directing For A Variety Series, Outstanding Technical Direction and Camerawork For A Series, Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction For A Series, and Outstanding Picture Editing For Variety Programming (Segment). Last year, the series won for Outstanding Talk Series and Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series.
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