Stephen Colbert was the presenter for the first award at the 2025 Emmy Awards, and before he could even joke about the end of The Late Show, everyone was already on their feet, giving the comedian a standing ovation.
“Sit down! Thank you very much. We got to keep going,” started Colbert as chants of “Stephen! Stephen!” began in the crowd. Then, he snuck in a joke about the end of his show: “While I have your attention… Is anyone hiring?”
After a laugh from the crowd, he continued, “Because I have 200 well-qualified candidates with me tonight, who’ll be available in June,” in reference to the laid-off staff that put together The Late Show on CBS.
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Colbert continued the spiff by pulling out a resume from his pocket with an old-school headshot on the back, before jogging over to Harrison Ford, asking him to forward his CV to Steven Spielberg. “I haven’t had a chance to update my headshot in a bit, but I think it still works,” he said as he held up a photo of his teenage self. “I’m in there somewhere — after I get back from Istanbul, I’m sure.”
Colbert then returned to the stage to present the award for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series to Seth Rogen for his lead role in The Studio.
Very cool moment to start the show: Here’s what that huge standing ovation for Stephen Colbert looked like inside the #Emmys. Chants of “Stephen! Stephen!” aa people were on their feet. pic.twitter.com/4OyzTZEmxk
— Chris Gardner (@chrissgardner) September 15, 2025
CBS announced back in July that the late-night talk show would end in May 2026, amid financial issues at the network. Though at the time, many suggested political pressure was a factor: Paramount was trying to merge with Skydance Media, with both companies awaiting approval from the FCC (it was eventually approved). Paramount settled a lawsuit brought by President Donald Trump, who claimed CBS’ flagship show, 60 Minutes, engaged in election interference by editing an interview with Kamala Harris. While most legal experts backed 60 Minutes to prevail in the suit, reporting suggested that some Paramount executives — including controlling shareholder Shari Redstone — favored a settlement with Trump, with others believing the lawsuit was a hindrance to securing the Trump admin’s approval on the merger. That thinking extended to The Late Show cancellation. Trump is, of course, a frequent target of Colbert, and the decision to cancel The Late Show came not long after Colbert criticized Paramount’s decision to settle the 60 Minutes lawsuit with Trump for $16 million.
Since the announcement of the late-night show’s cancellation, much of Hollywood has stood up in support of Colbert, including Jimmy Kimmel, who used his Emmys FYC ad to declare, “I’m voting for Stephen.” Colbert is nominated this year for Outstanding Talk Series against Kimmel’s show and Comedy Central’s The Daily Show.
From Rolling Stone US
