Emmys 2025: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert triumphs in face of CBS axing and Trump feud

While he didn’t come out and say it, the host of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert gave his network CBS a big f*** you after claiming the Emmy for Outstanding Talk Series despite his show copping the axe.

As America’s political landscape continues to shift, fans learned in July that Colbert’s anti-Trump late-night show would be wound up in May next year after a merger between Paramount Global and Skydance Media was approved by the US President’s administration.

While CBS’ parent company Paramount claimed the cancellation was a financial decision, Sunday night proved the classy host is still as popular as ever 10 years into his tenure at the helm.

Before Colbert even accepted his award, Hollywood’s elite roared as Bryan Cranston read out the host’s name as one of three nominees.

Beating out fellow talk show hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Jon Stewart, the room erupted once again as the man on borrowed time collected his award, flanked by his extensive crew.

“Thank you for this honour. I want to thank CBS for giving us the privilege to be part of the late night tradition, which I hope continues long after we’re no longer doing this show,” he began.

Thanking his family and collaborators over the last 20 years, Colbert recalled telling an old Hollywood pal what his plan for his late show would be.

And in doing so, hinted how Trump’s administration had shaped its context.

“Ten years ago, in September of 2015, Spike Jones stopped by my office and said, ‘Hey, what do you want this show to be about?’ And I said, ‘Ah, Spike, I don’t know how you could do it, but I’d kind of like to do a late night comedy show that was about love,” Colbert added.

“And I don’t know if I ever figured that out, but at a certain point, and you can guess what that point was, I realised that in some ways, we were doing a late night comedy show about loss.

“And that’s related to love, because sometimes you only truly know how much you love something when you get a sense that you might be losing it.”

Colbert finally left viewers with a poignant message about his feelings towards his country today, and the importance of standing firm when forces act to bring you down.

“Ten years later, in September of 2025, my friends, I have never loved my country more desperately,” he concluded.

“God bless America. Stay strong, be brave, and if the elevator tries to bring you down, go crazy and punch a higher floor!”

Colbert had never taken home an Emmy in his show’s previous nine seasons.

Now, perhaps the very reason he has is out of defiance to those who seek to silence him. Members of the Television Academy decide winners via peer-voting system, which is largely comprised of performers, executives, technicians and producers.

In 2015, Colbert amicably hosted Mr Trump at the desk and apologised for various remarks over the years that he admitted “in polite company, perhaps are unforgivable”.

To which the future-president responded, “almost”, adding Colbert had also said “some nice things”.

Ten years later, the pair’s relationship has clearly reached its lowest point, with Mr Trump boastful in response to the termination of Colbert’s operation.

“I absolutely love that Colbert got fired,” he wrote on Truth Social shortly after it was announced.

“His talent was even less than his ratings. I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert!”

The typically gracious host fired back in his next late-night monologue, lowering his colours to deliver a message to the President.

“How dare you, sir,” Colbert retorted, “Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism: Go f*** yourself’.”

With almost nine months before The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is finally put to bed, this takeover could become a little more hostile yet.