Colbert’s Final Season of ‘The Late Show’ Scores Record Emmy Nominations

The concluding season of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” has garnered nine Emmy nominations, marking the highest number for the series since Colbert’s tenure began. The nominations include:

• Outstanding Variety Series
• Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series
• Outstanding Directing For A Variety Series
• Outstanding Production Design For A Variety Or Reality Series
• Outstanding Technical Direction and Camerawork For A Series
• Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction For A Series
• Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Variety Series Or Special
• Outstanding Picture Editing For Variety Programming
• Outstanding Music Direction

Prior to this, the show received five nominations in 2024 and maintained this number in 2021 and 2022. These recognized efforts in production design, directing, lighting, talk series, and technical direction.

Stephen Colbert accepted the Outstanding Talk Series Award at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on September 14, 2025. Reflecting on his show’s success, Colbert expressed his appreciation, saying, “Sometimes, you only know how much you love something when you get a sense you might be losing it. I have never loved my country more desperately. God bless America.”

In its 11 years under Colbert, the show achieved over 40 nominations but won two notable awards in 2025 for Outstanding Talk Series and Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series. CBS praised the show through an Instagram post following the nominations.

CBS had earlier announced the cancellation of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” citing financial losses estimated at $40 million annually. Despite the official statement, liberal commentators and Colbert himself suggested that the decision was influenced by the network’s attempts to please President Donald Trump amidst a significant merger requiring FCC approval.

Colbert, addressing these claims at the Writers Guild Awards in March, remarked, “This is not the 1950s. This is not the Red Scare. And, as far as I can tell, no one in late night is fomenting a revolution. As we know, the revolution will not be televised. It was going to be televised, but then Paramount bought it.”

The final episode of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” aired on May 21, which played a significant role in securing five out of the nine Emmy nominations the show received.

Lindsay Kornick, an associate editor for Fox News Digital, contributed to the report. Contact: [email protected] or follow on Twitter: @lmkornick.