‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ wins Emmy for variety series
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CBS’ “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” which ended its 11-year run in May, has won the Emmy in the newly merged variety series category.
Colbert and his colleagues received a rousing reception from the audience as they gathered on stage to accept the award. The series scored five Emmys for directing, writing, lighting, editing and technical direction at a ceremony earlier this month.
During his acceptance speech, Colbert thanked his young staff, his wife Evelyn McGee Colbert and those in the audience who appeared on the show: “Thank you for coming on and talking to this idiot.”
But surprisingly or not, he made no mention of his feud with President Trump, similar to his acceptance speech last year when “The Late Show” won for talk series. The host was a frequent target of Trump and conservative politicians for his sharp comedic takes on the administration during his nightly monologue. Trump repeatedly called for the cancellation of Colbert‘s late-night show and of the host’s fellow nominee Jimmy Kimmel, calling them untalented and low-rated.
Here is a list of winners for the 2026 Primetime Emmy Awards, which recognize achievement in the television industry.
Trump in social media posts took credit when CBS announced it was canceling “The Late Show” in 2025, citing financial difficulties.
Also nominated in the category were HBO’s “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver,” Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” and NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.”
Colbert last month urged Emmy members to vote for Kimmel. The ABC host last year had lobbied for Colbert to win the award.
The Television Academy chose to merge the talk series and scripted variety series into one category. “The Late Show” won the Emmy for talk series in 2025, while “Last Week Tonight” took the trophy for scripted variety series.
