The writers of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert finally have their Emmy.
Colbert’s writing staff won Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series Saturday night, taking the category for the first time and ending Last Week Tonight with John Oliver’s ten-year winning streak.
The victory comes after The Late Show was nominated seven consecutive times from 2017 through 2023 without winning. The show missed the category entirely in both 2024 and 2025 before returning to the ballot this year.
It also caps a public push by Colbert’s writers themselves following the show’s finale.
In June, the show’s writers’ room released a homemade Emmy FYC video that they said they made because CBS was not mounting a writing-specific campaign. A source familiar with the network’s campaign later told LateNighter that CBS was campaigning for The Late Show more broadly, asking voters to consider it “in all categories.”
The writers ultimately landed one of just three available nominations, alongside Jimmy Kimmel Live! and the heavily favored Last Week Tonight.
And tonight they did what no other variety writing staff has managed in a decade: they beat John Oliver.
Oliver’s show had won Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series every year since 2016, part of an even longer stretch in which the category has been dominated by Daily Show alumni. Since 2008, every trophy has gone to The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, or Last Week Tonight.
Colbert’s writers weren’t the only late-night winners Saturday. Jimmy Kimmel, The Daily Show, Desi Lydic and Saturday Night Live all picked up trophies during the first of this weekend’s two pre-telecast Emmy ceremonies, while The Late Show itself won six of the nine awards for which it was nominated.
LateNighter has a full rundown (and photos) of all the night’s late-night winners.
The Late Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and Last Week Tonight are all nominated for Outstanding Variety Series at the main Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony on September 14, along with The Daily Show and Saturday Night Live—with a less than remote chance that more than one of them could win.
A separate broadcast featuring taped highlights from Saturday and Sunday night’s pre-Emmy presentations is set to air next Saturday, September 12, 2026, at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on FXX and will be available to stream the next day on Hulu.
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Kudos to the Writers who Kept Colbert Sharp, Witty and, of course, Funny During One.of the Longest Sign-offs in TV History!
Hurrah for good karma. I wonder how the ratings look for the Trumpette puppette Bari Weiss.
This was a year ago. Why print it now?
Incorrect, this award ceremony just happened, these are pre taped, hitting television stations next weekend.
Congratulations to a team who kept my friends and I belly laughing for many years. This is great news for the resumee. Wishing you all far less fascism in the coming years.
Incorrect, this award ceremony just happened, these are pre taped, hitting television stations next weekend.
A less-than-remote chance that multiple shows could win that category? As it is at least a little unlikely that one show *will* garner more than 90% of the votes, there’s a non-negligible chance multiple shows could win.
“Remote chance” means negligible. “Less than remote” means practically infinitesimal — even more unlikely (improbable), to the point of being practically impossible. That was the case before this category came about, I’d wager.
If you were trying to say the opposite, that the chances for multiple winners have increased to the point said possibility worthy of being accounted for, well… don’t ever say it your way again.
ladies, STOP bending over in photos just because you are in the front row. Such a stupid, stupid trend. Look at old photos- we never did that and everyone can still be seen.
The photographers asked them to.