Stephen Colbert closed the curtain on “The Late Show” with a major career milestone. The veteran host earned a record nine Emmy nominations for the program’s final season, giving the long-running late-night series its strongest awards performance during his 11-year run.
Stephen Colbert lands record Emmy nominations for Late Show after cancellation
The Television Academy announced the nominations on Wednesday. Before this year, Colbert’s highest Emmy tally stood at five nominations, a mark the show reached in three consecutive years between 2020 and 2022. The latest recognition marked a fitting farewell for the CBS staple after its recent cancellation.
“The Late Show” received nominations across several categories. The series earned recognition for Outstanding Variety Series, writing, directing, production design, technical direction and camerawork, lighting design, sound mixing, picture editing, and music direction.
CBS aired the series finale on May 21, bringing the “Late Show” franchise to an end after 33 years. David Letterman hosted the program for 22 years before Colbert took over in 2015. The network said it decided for financial reasons amid ongoing challenges in the late-night television business.
The cancellation sparked debate across the industry. Critics questioned the timing because the show remained one of late night’s strongest ratings performers. Others pointed to Paramount’s pending merger with Skydance as another factor that fueled speculation surrounding the decision.
This year’s Emmy race also introduced a major format change. The Television Academy combined the former Outstanding Talk Series and Scripted Variety Series categories into a single Outstanding Variety Series award. Colbert now competes alongside “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” “The Daily Show” and “Saturday Night Live.”
The category now operates as an area award rather than a traditional competition. Each nominee must independently receive approval from at least 90 percent of Emmy voters to earn the honor. If no program reaches that threshold, the nominee with the highest percentage of support wins the award.
Colbert’s final season reflected the political satire and sharp commentary that defined his tenure behind the desk. Emmy voters now have the chance to give the host one final victory before the Television Academy celebrates the winners. Final-round voting runs from Aug. 17 through Aug. 26, while the Primetime Emmy Awards air on Sept. 14 on NBC.
Originally reported by Samridhi Goel on Mandatory.
