- The Late Show With Stephen Colbert won five awards at the 2026 Creative Arts Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Directing and Writing for a Variety Series.
- The final episode of The Late Show aired less than four months before the awards ceremony, where the online digital series Colbert Before Air also won an Emmy.
- Stephen Colbert endorsed Jimmy Kimmel for an Emmy for Best Variety Show, with both hosts being nominated in the category.
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert just won five awards at the 2026 Creative Arts Emmy Awards, less than four months after the final episode of Stephen Colbert‘s CBS program aired.
On Saturday, September 5, Night 1 of the Creative Arts Emmys was held at the Peacock Theater at L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles. (Night 2 will be held on Sunday, September 6.) There, awards were announced recognizing artistic and technical achievements behind TV shows.
The Late Show earned nine nominations for its final season and won five of them, including:
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Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series
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Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series
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Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Series
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Outstanding Picture Editing for Variety Programming (Segment)
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Outstanding Technical Direction and Camerawork for a Series
2026 Emmys Night 1: Mariska Hargitay, Octa
Additionally, the online digital series Colbert Before Air won the Creative Arts Emmy for Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series.
Colbert hosted The Late Show for 11 years after replacing David Letterman as the host in 2015. In July 2025, CBS announced that the program would end; the final episode aired in May 2026.
On August 25, Colbert postedhe did so to endorse his friend and fellow late-night host, Jimmy Kimmel, for an Emmy for Best Variety Show. Both Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Late Show With Stephen Colbert are nominated in the category (the winner will be announced on September 14)
A combined broadcast of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, held September 5 and 6, will air on September 12 on FXX. Meanwhile, the Primetime Emmy Awards will air live on Monday, September 14, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
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