Archive · 15 Sep 2026
The Late Show Ends Run With Final Emmy Win
Stephen Colbert’s late-night television show won an Emmy for outstanding variety series.
The award came after the show ended its 11-year run in May.
It competed against several other popular comedy programmes.
CBS said it stopped making the show because it was losing a lot of money.
The network also said fewer advertisers were spending money on late-night television.
Some people questioned that explanation because Paramount was seeking to merge with Skydance.
That merger needed approval from the Trump administration.
Colbert’s show had often criticised President Donald Trump.
The show had also won five other awards at the Creative Arts Emmys.
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert won outstanding variety series at the Emmys after ending its 11-year run in May.
The CBS programme defeated Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Saturday Night Live, Last Week Tonight With John Oliver and The Daily Show.
CBS said it cancelled the show for financial reasons, citing annual losses of tens of millions of dollars and declining late-night advertising revenue.
The cancellation drew scepticism because CBS parent Paramount was pursuing a merger with Skydance requiring approval from the Trump administration.
The Emmy category was newly created by combining the former talk-series and variety-sketch-series categories.
- Who
- Stephen Colbert, CBS, Paramount, Skydance, and competing late-night programmes including Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Saturday Night Live, Last Week Tonight With John Oliver and The Daily Show.
- What
- The Late Show With Stephen Colbert won the Emmy for outstanding variety series after its cancellation and final broadcast run.
- When
- The programme ended in May; the Emmy win followed its final season and the Creative Arts Emmys the previous weekend.
- Where
- The award concerned the United States television industry; the article does not specify the Emmy ceremony location.
- Why
- CBS said the show was losing tens of millions of dollars annually as late-night advertising declined, while critics suspected political and merger-related factors also influenced the cancellation.
CBS’s Financial Explanation
Political and Merger-Related Scepticism
Reason for cancellation
CBS’s Financial Explanation
CBS said The Late Show was losing tens of millions of dollars a year as advertising revenue for late-night television declined.
Political and Merger-Related Scepticism
The explanation drew scepticism because Paramount was completing a multibillion-dollar merger with Skydance that required approval from the Trump administration.
Political context
CBS’s Financial Explanation
The article presents CBS’s financial explanation as the network’s stated reason for ending the programme.
Political and Merger-Related Scepticism
The Late Show had frequently criticised Donald Trump, leading to questions about whether political considerations were connected to the cancellation.
- Programme
- The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
- Network
- CBS
- Run
- 11 years
- Award
- Emmy for outstanding variety series
- Competitors
- Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Saturday Night Live, Last Week Tonight With John Oliver and The Daily Show
- Final-season Creative Arts Emmys
- Five awards, including outstanding writing and outstanding directing for a variety series
- Cancellation rationale
- CBS cited annual losses of tens of millions of dollars and declining late-night advertising revenue