Stephen Colbert Opens Emmys With Standing Ovation, Asks for a New Job

Stephen Colbert has joked about his upcoming unemployment a number of times on The Late Show since its cancellation was announced. Two months later, the talk show host brought the same energy to the 2025 Emmys stage.

Colbert was met with a standing ovation 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.”

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