The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Finally Wins an Emmy as It Winds Down
- Sep 8, 2025
- 3 min read
8 September 2025
When The Late Show with Stephen Colbert took home its very first Emmy award at the Creative Arts Emmys, the applause felt like more than just a prize. It came at a moment heavy with irony. Less than two months earlier CBS had announced that the show would be cancelled, setting its final air date for May 2026. For many, the Emmy win was bittersweet proof that creative risk and cultural relevance still mattered, even when the business around them is unraveling.
The award was for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series and it went to director Jim Hoskinson for an episode that featured actors David Oyelowo, Finn Wolfhard, Alan Cumming, and a performance by OK Go. The episode was lauded for its energy, staging, and emotional heft. Colbert has hosted the show since 2015 and before the win it had amassed more than 30 Emmy nominations with no victory in this capacity.
The cancellation of The Late Show was announced in July of 2025. CBS cited economic pressures in the late-night TV format, including declining advertising revenue and changes in viewing habits. Paramount, the owning company, was in the midst of a merger with Skydance Media, adding to the uncertainty around finances and content strategy. Many in the industry believe that political factors may also have played a role Colbert had recently criticized a settlement CBS reached with Donald Trump, calling it a “big fat bribe.”
Colbert himself has won several Emmys over the years for past works and specials but this was the first under The Late Show banner during his time at CBS. In speeches and reactions after the win some viewers interpreted the victory as a kind of reversal or reaction to the cancellation. Industry observers say that given how many times the show had been nominated without winning, this moment carried significance beyond the trophy.
The timing of the Emmy win matters. Late-night talk shows have been under duress: streaming has changed what viewers expect, ad dollars have shifted, costs have gone up, and legacy networks are re-thinking what profitability looks like. Against that backdrop, The Late Show was running with high production values, frequent political satire, and segments that leaned into cultural commentary. That combo earned both loyalty and criticism.
After the cancellation was announced, public reaction included protests from fans, support from late-night peers, and commentary about whether this is a symptom of a larger shift away from politically engaged commentary in network television. The Emmy win provided a moment of vindication amid all the debate.
The episode that won the Emmy stood out not just for its direction, but for what it represented a show that had pushed too far for some, similar amount of scrutiny, but still managed to connect with audiences and maintain a creative spark. That connection matters when one thinks about legacy. Colbert’s body of work includes not just this show, but earlier ones like The Colbert Report and other specials. The win adds to a career that has often balanced satire, sincerity, and critique.
Even as the show’s fate has been sealed, this Emmy may shape how it is remembered. It is likely to be cited in retrospectives as the moment when the industry recognized The Late Show’s contributions with audiences and culture and not just its failures at the box office or in profit margins. It suggests that under the pressures of changing media ecosystems, a show’s cultural footprint continues to weigh heavily.
In the coming months, The Late Show will still produce episodes, still address current affairs, and still court controversy. But its context has shifted. The cancellation gives every show its final arc. This Emmy win becomes part of that arc a capstone, a signal that however the story ends, part of it was worthy of praise. It is a win for the team behind the scenes writers, producers, performers, directors and a reminder that impact is not always aligned with permanence.
Comments