The Late Show With Stephen Colbert garnered significant recognition at the 2026 Creative Arts Emmy Awards, securing multiple wins on Saturday, September 5. This achievement comes approximately four months after the CBS program aired its final broadcast in May 2026.
Colbert, who hosted the show for 11 years after taking over from David Letterman in 2015, saw his program nominated for nine Emmy Awards in its final season. The show took home honors including Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series, a category that also featured nominations for Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Last Week Tonight With John Oliver. Other wins for the series included Outstanding Picture Editing for Variety Programming and Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Series. The program also received awards for Outstanding Technical Direction and Camerawork for a Series, and Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series.
In addition to the main show's accolades, the online digital series "Colbert Before Air" also won the award for Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series.
CBS announced the cancellation of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert in July 2025, citing financial reasons amidst a challenging landscape for late-night television. In a statement, the network said the decision was "purely a financial decision" and unrelated to the show's performance or content. At the time of the cancellation announcement, it was reported that the show was losing $40 million annually. The network stated its intention to retire the "Late Show" franchise, calling Colbert "irreplaceable."
The final episode of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert aired on May 21, 2026, featuring guests Paul McCartney and Ryan Reynolds. CBS subsequently replaced the program with "Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen."
Colbert himself reflected on the show's conclusion, noting in interviews that while he didn't anticipate the end coming so soon, he acknowledged the demanding nature of daily television production. He also suggested that the show's conclusion on CBS's terms, rather than his own, provided ample material for jokes.
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert also received a nomination for Outstanding Variety Series at the upcoming 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, scheduled for September 14.