Stephen Colbert gets standing ovation for Emmys 2025 win after show shutdown

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert won the award for Outstanding Talk Series at the 77th Emmy Awards.

Stephen Colbert, 61, was met with a standing ovation as he walked to the stage to accept the award Sunday, with the audience at the Peacock Theater also chanting the host's name.

The win comes nearly two months after Colbert announced The Late Show with Stephen Colbert would be ending after 10 seasons.

"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 the show," Colbert said in his acceptance speech.

"Personally I want to thank my beautiful, brilliant wife Evelyn [McGee-Colbert] who's the real brains of the outfit, and my three children — Madeline, Peter and John," he continued.

Later, Colbert added, "Sometimes you only truly know how much you love something when you get a sense that you might be losing it. 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!"

Other late-night talk shows, including The Daily Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live!, were also nominated for the award.

Colbert, 61, had announced the end of The Late Show in a July episode, revealing that the show would conclude after its next season. CBS later confirmed that the decision was financial, unrelated to the show’s content or performance.

Following the announcement, late-night hosts like Jon Stewart and Jimmy Kimmel publicly supported Colbert, especially after he voiced his concerns about Paramount—CBS’s parent company—during the summer over a controversial settlement involving US President Donald Trump.