Stephen Colbert is ending his run on The Late Show on a high note. On the heels of the show’s cancellation announcement, the host won big at the 2025 Emmys, taking home the Outstanding Talk Series prize.

The crowd was chanting “Stephen” before he launched into his speech, starting by thanking the network on which his show will air until May 2026. “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.

With several colleagues standing behind him on stage, Colbert recalled going into The Late Show thinking he would make it about love, but that changed during its 10-year run. “There’s a certain point, and you can guess what that point was, I realized that in some ways we were doing a late night comedy show about loss,” he explained.

Colbert clarified that loss relates to love “because sometimes you only truly know how much you love something when you get a sense that you might be losing it.”

He continued, “10 years later, in September of 2025, my friends, I have never loved my country more desperately. God bless America. Stay strong, be brave, and if the elevator tries to bring you down, go crazy and punch a higher floor.”

Colbert was met with a standing ovation at the start of the ceremony, too, when he presented the first award of the night. Once the applause died down, the host quipped, “While I have your attention, is anyone hiring? Because I got 200 very well-qualified candidates with me tonight who will be available in June,” he said, referring to The Late Show production crew.

Pulling out an old headshot, Colbert added that he brought his own resume. “I haven’t had a chance to update my headshot in a bit, but I think it still works,” he said, earning laughs. “I’m in there somewhere after I get back from Istanbul.”

Before announcing the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series winner, Colbert got one more joke in. “Harrison Ford, could you get this to [Steven] Spielberg?” he said before stepping down from the stage to hand it over.

It’s been almost exactly two months since Colbert informed viewers that The Late Show’s final episode would air in May 2026.

CBS and its parent company, Paramount, have said only financial circumstances contributed to the decision. “The challenge in late night is that the advertising marketplace is in significant secular decline,” Paramount Global TV Media Chairman George Cheeks said.

“We are huge fans of Colbert, we love the show, unfortunately, the economics made it a challenge for us to keep going,” he continued, adding that the network was also prompted to move away from late-night TV after host Taylor Tomlinson exited After Midnight.

Some viewers suspect that Colbert’s criticism of Paramount’s recent $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump was a factor. Trump sued the network for allegedly editing a 2024 60 Minutes interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris. The network has denied the claims that Colbert’s comments had any impact on the decision.

Regardless, Colbert hasn’t let the cancellation curb him from speaking out against Trump while his show is still on the air. When the president gloated about the end of The Late Show on social media, Colbert responded with a “Go f**k yourself” during an episode.

Ahead of the ceremony, the host teased what’s coming down the pike post-The Late Show. “We’ve got nine more months of the show and we’re going to have a really good time doing it,” Colbert told E! on the red carpet. “This show is all consuming — every day. So that’s it for now.”

The 61-year-old added that he’s hoping his team takes home the win for Outstanding Talk Series. They’re up against nominees like Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Daily Show.

“The people who do the show teach me what it’s like to be a professional, and I would be very grateful if we could win for them because they deserve all the recognition they can get,” he said. “Two hundred people do the show, not just me.”

Colbert continued, “I get all the applause and I get all the fame — and I’m fine with that — but I also want them to get a little recognition.”