Stephen Colbert's 'Late Show' wins 1st Emmy after cancellation
What's the story
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, a long-running late-night program on CBS, has won its first-ever Emmy Award. The show bagged the award for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series, which was won by Jim Hoskinson for the episode featuring David Oyelowo and Finn Wolfhard with a special appearance by Alan Cumming and performance by Ok Go. This is a significant achievement considering the show received over 30 nominations since its debut in 2015 but never won any.
Emmy history
'The Late Show' was most-nominated show without a win
With this year's two additional nominations, Stephen Colbert's show had a total of 33 Emmy nominations since its premiere in 2015. Before winning its first Emmy this year, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert was the second most-nominated show in Emmy history without a win, trailing only AMC's Better Call Saul, which lost all 53 of its nominations over six seasons. The comedy Newhart held the record with 25 losses until Better Call Saul's final Emmy categories loss in 2023.
Cancelation controversy
Controversy over CBS's decision to cancel the show
Some have interpreted the awarding of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert as a possible response to the controversy surrounding CBS's decision to cancel the show for "financial reasons." Despite its numerous nominations and now an Emmy win, there has been speculation about the show's future. Will the industry support change the talk show's fate?
Award legacy
Colbert's previous Emmy wins; David Letterman's run
Colbert, the host of The Late Show, already has 10 Emmys to his name. He was previously honored for The Colbert Report on Comedy Central and most recently won an Emmy for his special Stephen Colbert's Election Night 2020: Democracy's Last Stand: Building Back America Great Again Better 2020. The Late Show also had a successful run under David Letterman from 1993 to 2015, winning nine Emmys including seven for Outstanding Variety Series.