Emmy Ballots Reveal Late Night Contenders Across Multiple Categories

The Television Academy released its nomination ballots for the 2024 Emmy Awards Thursday and, as anticipated, the number of late-night TV shows submitting was down substantially year-over-year. In fact, with the number of shows submitting in one of late-night’s biggest categories totaling fewer than eight, that category was not included in the ballot. Instead, nominations for Outstanding Scripted Variety Series will be decided by a peer jury.

But while the number of late-night shows in contention is lower than in years past, a first look at this year’s ballots that are going out to Academy members reveals a large number of submissions from the shows that remain. 

Among the highlights: 

Outstanding Talk Series

Due to the TV Academy’s algorithm for determining the number of nomination slots in a category based on the number of shows submitted, there will be four nominees in the Outstanding Talk Series category. That’s down from five last year (when 19 shows submitted), but higher than the three that were expected (14 shows ended up submitting this year). 

The category promises to be a horse race, with John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in LA and Hot Ones joining The Daily Show, Real Time With Bill Maher, Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, and each of the four traditional network late night shows all vying for the category’s four slots.

The remaining five shows submitted in this category are decidedly lower profile: Black Girl Stuff, The Conversations Project, Hart To Heart, The Pit Stop, and Tez On Ten.

Outstanding Supporting Actor/Actress in a Comedy Series

Saturday Night Live has submitted each of its repertory and featured players for consideration as Outstanding Supporting Actor/Actress in a Comedy Series. Despite SNL’s enduring popularity, these two categories generally haven’t favored the show’s performers in the past. Athough a total of ten different cast members have been nominated over the years—Aidy Bryant, Cecily Strong, Vanessa Bayer, Leslie Jones, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Amy Poehler, Kenan Thompson, Bowen Yang and Kate McKinnon— McKinnon is the only SNL cast member to win (twice, in 2016 and 2017). Last year’s Season 48 cast earned no nominations at all. 

Outstanding Guest Actor/Actress in a Comedy Series 

Each of this past season’s Saturday Night Live hosts have also been submitted for consideration as Outstanding Guest Actor or Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. The show has traditionally done well in these two categories, which also include submissions for guest performers on sitcoms, single camera comedies, and late-night talk shows. 

The Daily Show submitted each of its recently-hired correspondents (Troy Iwata, Josh Johnson, and Grace Kuhlenschmidt) in this same category, as did Jimmy Kimmel Live!, which submitted both James Adomian and Josh Meyers, who played Mike Lindell and Gavin Newsom, respectively, in a sketch for the show that had the two face off in a debate. Also nominated in this category for their guest shots on Everybody’s in LA are two SNL alums: Will Ferrell and Andy Samberg.

Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded)

With 77 submissions, this is a crowded category that pits a variety of specials against one another; most are standup specials or live music concerts, but there are a pair of late night entries. The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon’s 10th Anniversary Special is a frontrunner for a nomination in this category. Perhaps more of a longshot up against the likes of Billy Joel and past winners Trevor Noah and Hannah Gadsby is the recent Daily Show special Jordan Klepper Fingers The Pulse – Moscow Tools.

Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special

Two former late nighters stand a good chance of locking a nomination among the 28 submissions in this category. First up is Conan O’Brien Must Go, O’Brien’s much ballyhooed return to TV earlier this year. Next is My Next Guest With David Letterman and John Mulaney, which paired two past Emmy favorites together.

Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series

The first of two categories honoring short form (mostly Web-based) content saw submissions from five late night shows out of 19 total: Carpool Karaoke: The Series, Desi Lydic Foxsplains – The Daily Show, Late Night With Seth Meyers Corrections, Real Time With Bill Maher: Overtime, and The Tonight Show: During Commercial Break.

Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series

There were two late-night submissions in this category (out of 22): The Daily Show: After The Cut and Saturday Night Live Presents: Behind The Sketch.

Other Contenders:

Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series
(10 late night submissions out of 11 total)

  • After Midnight
  • The Daily Show
  • Jimmy Kimmel Live!
  • John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s In LA
  • Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
  • Late Night With Seth Meyers
  • The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
  • Real Time With Bill Maher
  • Saturday Night Live
  • The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series
(1 late night submission out of 49 total)

  • The Daily Show Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers The Pulse – Moscow Tools

Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series
(12 late night submissions out of 15 total)

  • After Midnight
  • The Daily Show
  • Jimmy Kimmel Live!
  • John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s In LA
  • Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
  • Late Night With Seth Meyers
  • The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
  • Real Time With Bill Maher
  • Saturday Night Live
  • The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
  • Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen

Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special
(1 late night submission out of 56 total)

  • The Daily Show Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers The Pulse – Moscow Tools

Outstanding Picture Editing for Variety Programming
(4 late night submissions out of 42 total)

  • After Midnight
  • John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s In LA
  • Real Time With Bill Maher
  • The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: 10th Anniversary Special

Outstanding Picture Editing for Variety Programming (Segment)
(10 late night submissions out of 20 total)

  • The Daily Show: “The Dailyshowography Of Vivek Ramaswamy: Enter The RamaVerse”
  • Jimmy Kimmel Live!: “California Governor Gavin Newsom On Prop 14”
  • Jimmy Kimmel Live!: “Dre’s Anatomy Starring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Jimmy Kimmel & Eminem)”
  • Last Week Tonight With John Oliver: “Boeing”
  • Last Week Tonight With John Oliver: “The Sad Tale Of Henry The Engine”
  • Late Night With Seth Meyers: “Seth & Kristen Stewart Go Day Drinking”
  • The Late Show With Stephen Colbert: “Jon Stewart Under The Desk Bit”
  • The Late Show With Stephen Colbert: “Shower Witch Sketch”
  • The Late Show With Stephen Colbert: “Tour Of Streisand House”
  • Saturday Night Live: “Age Of Discovery”
  • Saturday Night Live: “I’m Just Pete”
  • Saturday Night Live: “Bowen’s Straight”
  • The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: “Cool Bartenders With Keegan-Michael Key & Boy George”

With voting now underway, the nominees for the 76th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will be announced on July 17. This year’s ceremony is scheduled to air live on ABC Sunday, September 15.

Correction: An earlier version of this post left out three SNL cast members who were previously nominated Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Vanessa Bayer, Leslie Jones, and Bill Hader.

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