Stephen Colbert made an impromptu appeal for Hollywood to hire members of his staff during a surprise monologue at the 2025 Emmy Awards, saying the group needed new work after the recent cancellation of his late-night program.
Colbert delivered the plea during the live telecast as part of a segment that drew audible reactions from the audience. The moment came amid a ceremony that recognized a wide range of dramas, comedies, limited series and reality programming across television's major networks and streaming services.
The awards night featured a mix of expected names and surprising winners. Britt Lower won the Emmy for best actress in a drama series for her work on Severance, and Tramell Tillman took best supporting actor in a drama series for the same show. Severance, which received multiple nominations, also saw Merritt Wever win best guest actress in a drama series.
Katherine LaNasa won best supporting actress in a drama series for her role in The Pitt, and Shawn Hatosy won best guest actor in a drama series for a guest turn on the same medical drama. The Pitt also scored several nominations, including Noah Wyle among the nominees for best actor in a drama series.
Limited and anthology series were recognized as well. Owen Cooper won best supporting actor in a limited or anthology series for his work on Adolescence, while Philip Barantini earned the Emmy for directing in that category. Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham were awarded best writing for a limited or anthology series or movie for Adolescence.
Writing and directing awards in drama went to Dan Gilroy for Andor and Adam Randall for Slow Horses, respectively. Andor's creative team also received multiple nominations, and the show was among the contenders in several major categories.
Comedy was a prominent presence on the winners' list. Jean Smart won best actress in a comedy series for Hacks, and Seth Rogen was awarded best actor in a comedy series for his role in The Studio. Rogen's series also took home Emmys for writing and directing in comedy, recognizing the show's behind-the-scenes team.
Several supporting and guest performer awards highlighted television's ensemble nature. Jeff Hiller won best supporting actor in a comedy series for Somebody Somewhere, and Hannah Einbinder won best supporting actress in a comedy series for Hacks. Bryan Cranston took best guest actor in a comedy series for a cameo on The Studio, and Julianne Nicholson won best guest actress in a comedy series for her appearance on Hacks.
Reality programming was a major category on the telecast. The Traitors won best reality competition program, and Alan Cumming was recognized as host for a reality or reality competition program for his work on that series. Queer Eye won for structured reality programming, and Love on the Spectrum took the award for unstructured reality programming.
Variety and special categories acknowledged live and pre-recorded events. Last Week Tonight With John Oliver won best scripted variety series. SNL 50-related specials were among the night's honorees in variety special categories.
The Penguin and The White Lotus led the field in total nominations. The Penguin received 24 nominations, the second-most this year, and The White Lotus scored 23 nominations, including several in supporting and guest acting categories. The competitive field also included Presumed Innocent, The Last of Us, Slow Horses and Paradise among nominees across drama and limited series categories.
Notable acting nominees who did not win included Pedro Pascal for The Last of Us, Gary Oldman for Slow Horses and Sterling K. Brown for Paradise in the drama actor category. Kathy Bates, nominated at 77 for Matlock, was the oldest acting nominee of the year. Filmmakers Ron Howard and Martin Scorsese each received guest-acting nominations for appearances on The Studio, marking an unusual crossover from feature filmmaking to Emmy-nominated television guest work.
Showrunners, writers and directors collected awards alongside performers, underscoring the Emmys' dual focus on creative and technical achievement. Winners in writing included the Andor team for drama and the writers of The Studio for comedy. Directing honors went to Adam Randall for Slow Horses in drama and Seth Rogen for The Studio in comedy.
Colbert's on-stage appeal framed the emotional tenor of a night that combined celebration with industry uncertainty. He asked viewers and producers to consider hiring the crew who had worked on his now-canceled show, noting their experience on a long-running production. The request came after several high-profile cancellations and restructuring moves across networks and streamers during the past year.
The 2025 Emmy Awards recognized an array of series and talent across broadcast and streaming platforms, with wins distributed among established series and newer contenders. The ceremony highlighted both the industry's creative breadth and ongoing behind-the-scenes shifts as performers and production teams navigate a changing television landscape.