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Stephen Colbert honored with standing ovation at Emmys, jokes about Late Show ending | Watch
Stephen Colbert got a standing ovation at the 2025 Emmys before presenting the first award of the night.
Stephen Colbert opened the 2025 Emmy Awards by presenting the first award of the night, but before he could begin, the audience stood and gave him a long ovation.
“Sit down! Thank you very much. We got to keep going,” Colbert said as the crowd chanted his name. He then joked about the end of The Late Show. “While I have your attention… Is anyone hiring?”
He added, “Because I have 200 well qualified candidates with me tonight, who’ll be available in June,” referring to his staff on The Late Show, which will end in May 2026.
Colbert pulled a resume out of his pocket with an old headshot on the back, then walked over to Harrison Ford and asked him to pass it along to Steven Spielberg. “I haven’t had a chance to update my headshot in a bit, but I think it still works,” Colbert said, showing the photo of his teenage self. “I’m in there somewhere — after I get back from Istanbul, I’m sure.”
He then returned to the stage to present the award for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, which went to Seth Rogen for his role in The Studio.
Also Read: Why CBS is canceling Stephen Colbert's The Late Show. Real reason revealed
CBS announced last date of The Late Show
CBS announced in July that The Late Show will end in May 2026. Reports linked the decision to financial concerns, though political pressure also played a role. At the time, Paramount was trying to merge with Skydance Media. To help secure FCC approval, Paramount settled a lawsuit with Donald Trump for $16 million over his claims that 60 Minutes edited an interview with Kamala Harris in a way that interfered with the election. Some executives, including Shari Redstone, supported the settlement, and the show’s cancellation followed not long after Colbert publicly criticized the deal, as reported by Rolling Stone.
Since the cancellation news, Colbert has received strong support from Hollywood. Jimmy Kimmel even used his Emmy campaign ad to say, “I’m voting for Stephen.” Colbert is nominated for Outstanding Talk Series, alongside Kimmel’s show and The Daily Show.
