Colbert wins Emmy for 'Late Show' after cancellation, says he loves his country more than ever

Late-night host Stephen Colbert won the Emmy for Outstanding Talk Series on Sunday night at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards — months after CBS announced it would cancel his show — telling the audience he had never loved his country more.

"Sometimes, you only know how much you love something when you get a sense you might be losing it," Colbert said during his acceptance speech. "I have never loved my country more desperately. God bless America."

Colbert, a frequent critic of President Donald Trump, revealed in July that his show was being canceled by CBS next year. "The Late Show," which Colbert took over from David Letterman in 2015, will go off the air for good in May.

"Stay strong and be brave, and if the elevator tries to bring you down, go crazy and punch a higher floor," the late-night host added in the acceptance speech, making a reference to a Prince song lyric.

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Late-night host Stephen Colbert accepts the Outstanding Talk Series Award for "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" onstage during the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards at Peacock Theater on September 14, 2025, in Los Angeles, California.   (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Colbert beat out Jimmy Kimmel, host of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!," and Comedy Central's "The Daily Show." 

He also thanked CBS for the opportunity during his acceptance speech. 

"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 said.

Earlier in the night, Colbert received a standing ovation while presenting another award. He joked about his show's cancellation during the bit, asking if anyone was "hiring" and giving his resumé to Harrison Ford.

CBS said in a July statement that the cancellation was "purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night," as accusations flew that the network was bowing to Republican political pressure ahead of Paramount's merger with Skydance Media.

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Late-night host Stephen Colbert during "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" on July 17, 2025. (Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images)

"'THE LATE SHOW with STEPHEN COLBERT' will end its historic run in May 2026 at the end of the broadcast season," CBS said in a statement. "We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire 'THE LATE SHOW' franchise at that time. We are proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late night television."

Colbert received support from Democrats and members of the media, who praised him for speaking "truth to power."

After Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was assassinated on Wednesday, Colbert opened his show with a statement denouncing political violence.

"Our condolences go out to his family and all of his loved ones. I am old enough to personally remember the political violence of the 1960s, and I hope it is obvious to everyone in America that political violence does not solve any of our political differences," Colbert said.

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He added, "Political violence only leads to more political violence. And I pray with all my heart that this is the aberrant action of a madman and not a sign of things to come."