Stephen Colbert received repeated standing ovations Sunday at the Primetime Emmy Awards as he accepted the trophy for Best Talk Series, two months after CBS announced it would cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
The 61-year-old host thanked the network and devoted most of his remarks to his cast and crew, saying he hoped the late-night tradition would continue even after his show ends. "I want to thank CBS for giving us the privilege to be part of the late-night tradition, which I hope continues long after we are no longer doing this show," Colbert told the audience at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. He closed with a rousing, patriotic flourish: "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! Whoo!"
Colbert's program won the Emmy over The Daily Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live! He had earlier been met with a standing ovation when he came onstage to present the award for best actor in a comedy series; audience members chanted his name and rose to their feet. During the evening he repeatedly acknowledged his staff, quipping, "Is anyone hiring? Because I've got 200 very qualified candidates here tonight who will be available in June," and retrieving an old headshot as part of a staged bit that ended with actor Harrison Ford accepting a resume on Colbert's behalf.
Before the show, Colbert told E! News he wanted the win to go to his team. "The people who do the show every day teach me what it's like to be a professional and I would be very grateful if we could win it for them because they deserve all the recognition they can get," he said. "I get all the applause and I get all the fame — and I'm fine with that. But I also want them to get a little recognition."
CBS announced in mid-July that it would cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, a decision that came days after the network agreed to a $16 million settlement with former President Donald Trump stemming from a defamation lawsuit tied to edited interview footage. Colbert had publicly criticized the settlement on his program, calling it a "big, fat bribe" and saying he was "offended" by his employer's actions. He said the company "could've easily fought it," and used humor to highlight what he described as a clash between corporate decisions and journalistic independence.
Network executives said at the time that the cancellation was a financial decision unrelated to the show's content or performance. "It is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount," they said, adding that the company considered Colbert "irreplaceable and will retire the Late Show franchise" in May. Paramount and CBS did not admit journalistic wrongdoing in the settlement; the agreement included payment of Trump's legal fees, release of unedited transcripts for certain interviews, and other provisions.
The settlement and the timing of the show's cancellation reignited public scrutiny of corporate mergers and political influence. Reporting cited by Colbert and others noted that Paramount's planned $8.4 billion merger with Skydance could create pressures on programming, and that Skydance owner David Ellison had expressed a preference for a less politically charged tone. The New York Times reported that Larry Ellison, a major Trump supporter, was believed to be a principal backer of the financing for the deal.
Colbert's Emmy acceptance and the public response at the ceremony underscored the goodwill toward his team among industry peers. He repeatedly framed the evening as recognition for the people who produce the show, reminding viewers of the many professionals who work behind the scenes. The network's statement calling the decision purely financial contrasts with the onstage moment, where applause and standing ovations celebrated the program's creative staff and its place in late-night television history.