Stephen Colbert’s canceled ‘Late Show’ just scored its first Emmy

Colbert’s axed ‘Late Show’ finally claims its first Emmy win, leaving fans divided after CBS pulled the plug.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert may have ended, but it has just claimed its most surprising victory yet. At the Creative Arts Emmys on September 7, the cancelled late-night programme won its first-ever Emmy, a bittersweet triumph arriving only weeks after CBS pulled the plug on the long-running show.

The award went to director Jim Hoskinson for outstanding directing in a variety series, specifically for an episode featuring David Oyelowo, Finn Wolfhard, Alan Cumming, and a musical performance by OK Go. The recognition was historic, marking the show’s first win after amassing 33 nominations since its 2015 debut. Until now, it was one of the most-nominated series never to secure a trophy.

The timing of the victory has not gone unnoticed. Many see it as a pointed response to CBS’s decision to cancel the series for what it called financial reasons. Fans, who had been vocal in criticising the cancellation, quickly flooded social media with messages suggesting the Emmy proved the network wrong. Some described the win as “the revenge of Colbert Nation,” while others noted the irony that it took cancellation for the show to finally be honoured.

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Stephen Colbert himself is no stranger to Emmys. He has ten previous wins, most famously for The Colbert Report. But this was the first awarded to his CBS-era Late Show, a programme that had spent a decade competing against Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, and newer streaming formats.

When David Letterman helmed The Late Show from 1993 to 2015, the series was a frequent Emmy darling, winning nine awards including seven for outstanding variety series. That streak ended in 2003 with Jon Stewart’s Daily Show taking over the late-night awards scene.

Whether or not the Emmy changes the fate of Colbert’s CBS tenure remains unclear, but the win has already reignited debate over late-night television’s future. The Late Show may be gone, but this belated Emmy ensures its name will be remembered.