Late Show's Emmy Record
Stephen Colbert's Late Show earns record nine Emmy nominations for final season
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Key Points
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The Late Show’s nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series came after the show’s now-former writers released a homemade FYC video late in the nominations window, highlighting a grassroots push when CBS was not mounting a formal Emmy campaign.
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Under the Emmys’ updated structure, Outstanding Variety Series is treated as an area award with a 90% yes-vote threshold, meaning nominees are not directly competing head-to-head; if multiple clears the bar, they can all win, and if none does, the one with the highest yes-vote percentage wins.
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The Late Show’s final season culminated in a May 21 series finale, with CBS describing the decision to end the franchise as a financial one amid a challenging late-night landscape and a Paramount merger with Skydance.
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The 2026 Emmy season will wrap with the 78th Primetime Emmys on NBC on September 14, hosted by Mariska Hargitay, with early category reveals for Outstanding Variety Series and Outstanding Reality Competition shown on NBC's Today program.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is going out on a high note. The show earned nine Emmy nominations for its final season — the biggest haul in Colbert's 11-year run — including a nod for Outstanding Variety Series, according to Variety.
The show's May 21 series finale capped an 11-year run on CBS. The nine nominations span writing, directing, production design, lighting, sound, picture editing, technical direction, camerawork, and music direction, per Consequence.
Writers' Grassroots Push Paid Off at Emmy Time
One of the most notable nominations came in Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series. CBS was not running a formal Emmy campaign for the show. So the writing staff took matters into their own hands. They released a homemade FYC — short for "For Your Consideration" — video late in the nominations window, according to LateNighter.
The gamble worked. The Late Show writing team now competes alongside Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver in that category, LateNighter reported. It is a rare win for a grassroots push in a field usually dominated by big network campaigns.
How the 'Area Award' Format Changes the Race
The Outstanding Variety Series category works differently than most Emmy races. Under the updated rules, it is now an "area award." Nominees are not ranked against each other. Instead, each show is judged on its own merits against a set bar, according to Variety.
To win, a show needs a 90% yes-vote from Emmy judges. If multiple shows clear that bar, they can all win. If none clears it, the show with the highest yes-vote percentage takes home the award. The Late Show competes in this format against The Daily Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, and Saturday Night Live, per Variety.
CBS Ended the Show Over Money and a Merger
CBS called the decision to cancel The Late Show a financial one. Late night has faced a tough landscape in recent years. The network is also navigating a major merger between Paramount and Skydance. The show's final episode aired May 21, 2025, Variety reported.
CBS reportedly mounted some awards campaigns but stepped back before the final push. The farewell season still drew industry attention, and the nine nominations show the show remained a creative force right up to its end, according to Yahoo News.
Emmy Ceremony Set for September on NBC
The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards will air on NBC on September 14, 2026. Mariska Hargitay will host the ceremony. The Outstanding Variety Series category was among the first reveals, shown on NBC's Today program, per WSJM.
The Late Show's nine nominations make it one of the most-nominated variety shows of the cycle. Whether it wins one, several, or none depends on how Emmy judges score each show against that 90% threshold. Either way, Colbert's final season has already made history for the franchise.
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