Topical humor may be the bread and butter of late-night talk shows, but most of the major shows are hoping to get some Emmy recognition for their musical stylings, too.
Six different late-night talkers are hoping to compete in the Outstanding Music and Lyrics category at this year’s Emmys—but they face stiff competition, with more than 60 submissions overall (including 8 from Saturday Night Live alone) angling for one of just five nomination slots.
Only two late-night talk shows have secured nominations in the category overthe last ten years: Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2017, and Last Week Tonight in 2020. The last time any of them won? JKL‘s infamous “I’m F*cking Matt Damon” in 2008.
Here are this year’s submissions from the world of late-night talk:
The Daily Show: “Librul Tears”
When Donald Trump held a rally at New York’s Madison Square Garden last year, Robert Smigel‘s Triumph the Insult Comic Dog paid a visit to the scene. Dressed up as the QAnon Shaman, Smigel channeled the likes of Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan for a sarcastic song about liberal tears. Triumph managed to get the crowd to sing along, seemingly unaware that they were the butt of the joke.
Smigel wrote the lyrics to “Librul Tears,” and the music with Tim Mountain.
Everybody’s Live: “(That’s How You) Cartoon a Cat”
Sitting courtside for the fifth episode of Everybody’s Live with John Mulaney, Broadway star André De Shields delivered a rousing number as Chesterton Cheadle, “the cat who inspired Chester Cheetah.” The resulting song offers absurd suggestions for living, from snorting orange coke to holding a snack truck driver hostage.
The song features lyrics from Langston Kerman and music from Eli Bolin (who previously composed the music for John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch).
Jimmy Kimmel Live!: “Jeff Goldblum’s Hosting Kimmel Tonight”
With Jimmy Kimmel on summer vacation, guest host Jeff Goldblum kicked off his two-episode stint in style. To close out his monologue, Goldblum sang about his emcee duties, name-dropping some of his most famous movies for good measure. “Even if I still bomb, I’ve got Apartments.com,” Goldblum sings of his decade-long ad campaign.
Goldblum himself is credited with the lyrics alongside Alexander Michael Frank and Spencer Logan Day, who also wrote the music.
The Late Show: “Billionaire Song”
Stephen Colbert reacted to Forbes’ annual billionaire list being longer than ever with a song. In a rare Late Show music video, the host chose not to take down billionaires directly, but rather to sarcastically celebrate them by embodying one himself. Guest star Alan Cumming joins in the fun, and Colbert ultimately lays out his intentions in a spoken interlude: He’s afraid to question billionaires. “Are you trying to get us f*cking killed?” he warns. “They’re listening to us right now, so be cool!”
Colbert and Late Show writer Michael Cruz Kayne are credited with the lyrics, making Colbert the only regular late-night host up for a nomination himself. Bandleader Louis Cato wrote the music with Jack DeBoe.
Last Week Tonight: “That Stuff’s American”
Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.” has become a staple of US citizen naturalization ceremonies—despite, as Last Week Tonight pointed out, Greenwood’s contradictory rhetoric toward immigrants, and various complications with the US government licensing the track.
So John Oliver presented an alternative song to be played at U.S. citizen naturalization ceremonies. In “That Stuff’s American,” Will Ferrell lists some of America’s most well-known exports, from the basic cliches (“corndogs and apple pie”) to the more problematic (private prisons, Scientology, “Ted f*cking Cruz”). “That stuff’s American,” Ferrell belts. “Now so are you.”
Last Week Tonight writer Owen Parsons penned the lyrics with music producer Mike Viola, who also composed the music.
The Tonight Show: “Wicked Beat Bit”
Wicked may have been a box office smash, but The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon wanted to provide a primer for those who weren’t aware of the plot. Utilizing a familiar beat from Fallon’s show, Wicked stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo rap a recap, with category contender Goldblum making an appearance here, too. (Two other songs performed by Grande are also up for nomination, both hailing from SNL: “My Best Friend’s House” and her musical monologue.)
Tonight Show writers Sage Boggs and Jonathan Adler penned the music and lyrics.
Emmy nominations will be announced on Tuesday, July 15. The 77th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony is scheduled to air live on CBS Sunday, September 14.
