Trump Nemeses Will Duke It Out in Fierce Emmy Competition
Colbert, Kimmel, Oliver, Stewart, and “Saturday Night Live” will compete for the Outstanding Variety Series award.
ABC/CBS/Comedy Central/NBC
Donald Trump’s fiercest TV critics will compete against one another in a new combined Emmys category, with some facing off for the very first time.
The Television Academy announced it will merge its talk and scripted variety categories in January.
The resulting nods for this year’s Emmy Awards pit Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Saturday Night Live, and the freshly axed Late Show with Stephen Colbert against each other in the new “Outstanding Variety Series” category.
John Oliver’s “Last Week Tonight” won the Outstanding Scripted Variety Series award for 11 consecutive years. This year will be the first time his show competes with Colbert, Kimmel, and Stewart.
screen grab
Last year’s race for “Outstanding Talk Series” pitted Colbert, Kimmel, and Stewart against each other, and Colbert ultimately won. Oliver also beat SNL for the third time in the “Scripted Series” category.
Colbert's "Late Show" was canceled amid Trump-friendly conglomerate Skydance's acquisition of Paramount.
Scott Kowalchyk /CBS
Combining all five shows makes the race one to watch, though Deadline reports more than one show may take home a trophy in the category due to a big voting change.
Though Trump ultimately got his way on Colbert's show, Kimmel's triumphant return after his suspension will likely also endear him to Emmy voters.
YouTube/Jimmy Kimmel Live
The separate Talk Series and Scripted Variety Series were previously competitive, meaning the Academy voted for a single winner. The newly combined category has been designated as an area award, meaning voters will evaluate each program individually to determine whether it merits an Emmy. Any show that reaches 90 percent “Yes” votes from the awards body will get a trophy.
Stewart hosts "The Daily Show" on Mondays.
Comedy Central
Each of the show’s competitors has drawn Trump’s ire at some point in MAGA 2.0, though The Late Show is the only one to have been discontinued (CBS’s parent company, Paramount, insists that The Late Show was canceled for “purely financial” reasons).
SNL, Will Ferrell as Epstein and James Austin Johnson as Trump
NBC
The past year’s showdowns between Trump and the rest of Emmy-nominated late-night television, none of which have backed down from hitting the president, may still make the race a tight one despite the new combined category’s designation.
Obsessed with pop culture and entertainment? Follow us on Substack and YouTube for even more coverage.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
Sign in or create an account
Login dialog
Loading comments…