Why Stephen Colbert’s biggest Emmy win arrives with no next chapter and what that silence could mean for television itself.NH

Stephen Colbert is celebrating the right now.

And that’s why his plans for what’s next—after the end of his late-night talk show in May 2026—are on the back burner.

“I know it’s coming to the end in May,” Stephen, 61, told reporters inside the 2025 Emmys after taking home his first award for Outstanding Talk Series during the ceremony Sept. 14. “But I’m going to savor every day. I want to land this plane absolutely beautifully and I’ve got nothing else on my mind.”

“I love what we do, and I want to go to work on Tuesday and for the next nine months with these people and work hard to have fun,” he continued. “We do the show with each other. We do the show for each other, every day. And I have the privilege and responsibility that day to share with the audience what we did. And I love it.”

Stephen’s banner evening came two months after CBS announced the cancellation of The Late Show after a decade with him at the helm—amid what the network said was a financial decision. Despite the lights dimming on his show, the audience inside the Peacock Theater proved that Stephen’s light is brighter than ever as he was greeted by multiple standing ovations from the star-studded audience throughout the broadcast.

Eric Charbonneau/Apple TV+ via Getty Images

“It was really nice,” Stephen said of the gesture. “I’ll tell you this. I came out here a lot when I was a young man looking for work. Winning one of these and having the audience stand up is way better than coming off the pilot season. I was very grateful, and I hope I know that it wasn’t just for me, it was for all these people who do the work every day who really make it possible. So, it was really gratifying. I’m incredibly grateful.”

And while Stephen was amazed by the applause, his wife of 32 years Evelyn “Evie” McGee-Colbert knew it was a long time coming.

“The way he’s such a great leader, the kindness with which he runs his show,” Evie said of what she admires about her husband to Zuri Hall on the red carpet on Live From E!: 2025 Emmys. “They are 200 friends, and they love each other so much. I don’t think anybody has a sense of what it’s like to work there unless you’re backstage and hey work for each other in such a beautiful way.”

(Reporting by Alex Cramer)

For more winners from the 2025 Emmys, keep reading…

Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Sterling K. Brown, Paradise
Gary Oldman, Slow Horses
Pedro Pascal, The Last Of Us
Adam Scott, Severance
WINNER: Noah Wyle, The Pitt

Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Kathy Bates, Matlock
Sharon Horgan, Bad Sisters
WINNER: Britt Lower, Severance
Bella Ramsey, The Last of Us
Keri Russell, The Diplomat

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Zach Cherry, Severance
Walton Goggins, The White Lotus
Jason Isaacs, The White Lotus
James Marsden, Paradise
Sam Rockwell, The White Lotus
WINNER: Tramell Tillman, Severance
John Turturro, Severance

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Patricia Arquette, Severance
Carrie Coon, The White Lotus
WINNER: Katherine LaNasa, The Pitt
Julianne Nicholson, Paradise
Parker Posey, The White Lotus
Natasha Rothwell, The White Lotus
Aimee Lou Wood, The White Lotus

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Adam Brody, Nobody Wants This
WINNER: Seth Rogen, The Studio
Jason Segel, Shrinking
Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building
Jeremy Allen White, The Bear

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Uzo Aduba, The Residence
Kirsten Bell, Nobody Wants This 
Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
Ayo Edebiri, The Bear
WINNER: Jean Smart, Hacks

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Ike Barinholtz, The Studio
Colman Domingo, The Four Seasons
Harrison Ford, Shrinking
WINNER: Jeff Hiller, Somebody Somewhere
Ebon Moss-Bachrach, The Bear
Michael Urie, Shrinking
Bowen Yang, Saturday Night Live

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Liza Colón-Zayas, The Bear
WINNER: Hannah Einbinder, Hacks
Kathryn Hahn, The Studio
Janelle James, Abbott Elementary
Catherine O’Hara, The Studio
Sheryl Lee Ralph, Abbott Elementary
Jessica Williams, Shrinking

Limited or Anthology Series

WINNER: Adolescence
Black Mirror
Dying for Sex
Monsters: The Lyle & Erik Menendez Story
The Penguin

Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Colin Farrell, The Penguin
WINNER: Stephen Graham, Adolescence
Jake Gyllenhaal, Presumed Innocent
Bryan Tyree Henry, Dope Thief
Cooper Koch, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story

Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Cate Blanchett, Disclaimer
Meghann Fahy, Sirens
Rashida Jones, Black Mirror
WINNER: Cristin Milioti, The Penguin
Michelle Williams, Dying for Sex

Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Javier Bardem, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story
Bill Camp, Presumed Innocent
WINNER: Owen Cooper, Adolescence
Rob Delaney, Dying for Sex
Peter Sarsgaard, Presumed Innocent
Ashley Walters, Adolescence

Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

WINNER: Erin Doherty, Adolescence
Ruth Negga, Presumed Innocent
Deirdre O’Connell, The Penguin
Chloë Sevigny, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story
Jenny Slate, Dying for Sex
Christine Tremarco, Adolescence

Guest Actor in a Drama Series

Giancarlo Esposito, The Boys
Scott Glenn, The White Lotus
WINNER: Shawn Hatosy, The Pitt
Joe Pantoliano, The Last of Us
Forest Whitaker, Andor
Jeffrey Wright, The Last of Us

Guest Actress in a Drama Series

Jane Alexander, Severance
Gwendoline Christie, Severance
Kaitlyn Dever, The Last of Us
Cherry Jones, The Handmaid’s Tale
Catherine O’Hara, The Last of Us
WINNER: Merritt Wever, Severance

Guest Actor in a Comedy Series

Jon Bernthal, The Bear
WINNER: Bryan Cranston, The Studio
Dave Franco, The Studio
Ron Howard, The Studio
Anthony Mackie, The Studio
Martin Scorsese, The Studio

Guest Actress in a Comedy Series

Olivia Colman, The Bear
Jamie Lee Curtis, The Bear
Cynthia Erivo, Poker Face
Robby Hoffman, Hacks
Zoë Kravitz, The Studio
WINNER: Julianne Nicholson, Hacks

Talk Series

The Daily Show
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
WINNER: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Reality Competition Series

The Amazing Race
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Survivor
Top Chef
WINNER: The Traitors

Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program

RuPaul Charles, RuPaul’s Drag Race
Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, Kevin O’Leary, Barbara Corcoran, Robert Herjavec Daymond John, Daniel Lubetsky, Shark Tank
WINNER: Alan Cumming, The Traitors
Kristen Kish, Top Chef
Jeff Probst, Survivor

Scripted Variety Series

WINNER: Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
Saturday Night Live

Host for a Game Show

Elizabeth Banks, Press Your Luck
Steve Harvey, Celebrity Family Feud
Ken Jennings, Jeopardy!
Colin Jost, Pop Culture Jeopardy!
WINNER: Jimmy Kimmel, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire

Structured Reality Program

Antiques Roadshow
Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives
Love Is Blind
WINNER: Queer Eye
Shark Tank

Unstructured Reality Program

America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
WINNER: Love On The Spectrum
RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives
Welcome to Wrexham