The bitter feud between Stephen Colbert and President Donald Trump shows no signs of cooling down, especially in the wake of *The Late Show*'s Emmy triumph.
On Sunday, at the 2025 Emmy Awards, *The Late Show With Stephen Colbert* clinched the coveted Best Talk Series award for the first time, edging out rivals *Jimmy Kimmel Live!* and *The Daily Show*. During his first show back after the ceremony on Tuesday, Colbert was positively elated as he flaunted his golden statuette before a live audience, quipping with a grin, “We should’ve been canceled years ago.” The remark was a clear nod to CBS’s July announcement that *The Late Show* would conclude its run in May 2026.
“This award belongs first and foremost to the 200 hardworking souls who make this show what it is—starting with our writers,” Colbert declared. “Every night, they meticulously transcribe every word I say, just so we have a script to hand out as a keepsake. It’s incredible. They do it every single day.”
He continued, rolling through a rapid-fire list of contributors: “But they’re not alone. The stage crew, production staff, on-air talent, editors, the band, control room, props team, graphics wizards, researchers, digital gurus, accountants, legal eagles, wardrobe specialists, makeup artists, security, maintenance crews, assistants, interns—and of course, the audience department, who let all of you beautiful people in every night. Because let’s be real: the audience—you here, you watching at home—you’re the ones who make this show possible. So this belongs to you too… but I’m keeping it.”
With a mischievous glint, he added, “If anyone so much as *looks* at this Emmy the wrong way, I’ll jab your eyes out with these wings right here.”
Colbert also extended gratitude to the Television Academy, the Emmys producers, and his fellow nominees—Jon Stewart and Jimmy Kimmel—for their contributions to the late-night landscape.
Concluding his opening monologue remarks on the historic win, Colbert couldn’t resist a jab at his longtime adversary: “Speaking of Emmys, Donald Trump doesn’t have one.”
The Late Show’s maiden Emmy victory was a sweet surprise for Colbert and his team, not only due to the show’s impending cancellation but also because Trump had been quick to gloat in July. “I absolutely love that Colbert got fired,” Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time. “His talent was even less than his ratings. I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert! [Fox News late-night host] Greg Gutfeld is better than all of them combined, including the Moron on NBC who ruined the once-great *Tonight Show*.”
While Trump may lack an Emmy of his own, he did secure two nominations for Best Reality-Competition Program for *The Apprentice* in 2004 and 2005—a fact Colbert no doubt savored mentioning.
