Emmys Snubs Trump by Finally Rewarding Colbert for Mega-Fight With the President
CBS canceled Colbert’s show after the host criticized a financial deal between its parent company and the Trump administration.
Getty Images
Stephen Colbert will be enjoying a nice, cold glass of MAGA revenge after his canceled late-night show finally triumphed at the Emmys.
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert picked up the award for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series at Sunday’s ceremony, granted for an episode featuring British actor David Oyelowo, Canadian Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard, and Scottish actor Alan Cumming.
Though Colbert already has 10 Emmy awards under his belt, it represents the show’s first win under his tenure, which is set to end in May 2026 following CBS’s controversial decision in July to axe the show.
Colbert’s show was canceled by CBS after he described the network’s defamation settlement with Trump as a “big fat bribe.”
CBS via Getty Images
That move—celebrated by President Donald Trump, a longstanding target of Colbert’s barbs—came as the network’s parent company, Paramount, sought federal approval of a lucrative merger with media conglomerate Skydance.
At the time, CBS had just agreed to pay Trump $16 million to settle the president’s lawsuit over claims it deliberately doctored footage of an interview with Kamala Harris to give her an edge over Trump in last year’s presidential election.
Trump flirted with taking credit for Colbert’s firing, later insisting he was not “solely responsible.”
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Legal experts described Trump’s claims of defamation as frivolous and a potential violation of First Amendment rights, with Colbert calling the payment “a big fat bribe” on his own CBS show.
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The network fought back against claims Colbert’s cancellation was politically motivated, insisting the decision had been taken for “economic reasons,” even as Trump claimed the credit for getting one of his longest-running critics off the air—and predicted other late-night hosts would be next to go.
“The word is, and it’s a strong word at that, Jimmy Kimmel is NEXT to go in the untalented Late Night Sweepstakes and, shortly thereafter, Fallon will be gone,” he posted on Truth Social in July. “It’s really good to see them go.”
Trump later insisted he was not “solely responsible for the firing of Stephen Colbert,” adding that “the reason he was fired was a pure lack of TALENT.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment on Colbert’s Emmy win.
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