Colbert mocks Trump for not having an Emmy
Late-night host Stephen Colbert rubbed his Emmy victory in Donald Trump's face on Tuesday, mocking the president for never winning the award during Trump's time as a TV host. 'Ladies and gentlemen, welcome one and all. Welcome to The Late Show. I'm your host, Steven Colbert,' he said, hoisting up the statuette his show received on Sunday for Outstanding Talk Series.
'I'm sorry. I meant to say welcome to the Emmy Award-winning Late Show. ' The crowd cheered in response, chanting Colbert's name. 'Speaking of Emmys , uh, Donald Trump doesn't have one,' he added, sparking a round of laughs.
Trump's show, The Apprentice, aired for seven seasons on NBC from 2004 to 2010, losing out on Emmys twice after being nominated for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program in 2004 and 2005. The Amazing Race won both times.
Trump had complained about never taking home the award, calling the Emmys 'rigged' and a 'con game.' During Tuesday's show, Colbert also thanked his 200 staff for making the Late Show possible, after CBS announced plans to cancel the program next year.
Trump had celebrated news of the cancellation , which was announced in July amid reports it was losing $40 million a year. Late-night hosts David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel had claimed the cancellation was a form of political retribution.
Colbert had previously ripped the decision by CBS' parent company, Paramount Global, to pay Trump $16 million to settle a lawsuit he filed over a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris. The settlement was seen by many as a necessary move by the company to earn the Trump administration's approval of its $8 million merger with Skydance, which was approved by the FCC within days of the settlement.
Colbert called the payout 'a big, fat bribe' on his show, and three days later CBS said it would be cancelling the Late Show in May 2026. Paramount called it 'a financial decision.' Trump hailed the news, writing on Truth Social: 'I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings.'
Colbert took over the Late Show from Letterman in 2015. Until Sunday, it had never won an Emmy for Outstanding Talk Series. Colbert won nine Emmys prior to taking over the Late Show, for his work on the Colbert Report and as a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.
Both Kimmel and Stewart were nominated alongside Colbert on Sunday. Colbert is reportedly paid between $15 million and $20 million a year. The cost of producing the show is roughly $100 million.