Stephen Colbert made an emotional plea to Hollywood execs to hire his staff as he addressed his “Late Show” cancellation in a surprise monologue at the Emmy Awards Sunday night.
The comedian, 61, was greeted with a standing ovation as he took the stage to present the first award of the evening, for Best Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.
The audience erupted into thunderous cheers and applause as A-listers rose to their feet, chanting “Stephen!” in unison, while Colbert looked on in awe.
Stephen Colbert made an emotional plea to Hollywood execs to hire his staff as he addressed his “Late Show” cancellation in a surprise monologue at the 2025 Emmy Awards Sunday night. REUTERS“Thank you very much! You’re very kind! Sit down. We’ve got to go,” he told the audience, before addressing the cancellation of his long-running talk show.
“While I have your attention, is anyone hiring?” he quipped, prompting the audience to burst into laughter. “Because I’ve got 200 very qualified candidates with me here tonight, who will be available in June.”
The comic, whose show comes to an end in May 2026, joked that he brought his résumé and head shot to the star-studded event.
The comedian, 61, was greeted with a standing ovation as he graced the stage at the 2025 Emmy Awards Sunday. Invision for the Television Academy“I haven’t had a chance to update my head shot in a bit, but I think it still works,” he quipped, showing a black-and-white photo of a very young Colbert to the audience. “I’m in there somewhere.”
He then asked Hollywood legend Harrison Ford to pass along his résumé to filmmaker Steven Spielberg, running into the audience to hand Ford the document.
Toward the end of the award ceremony, the funnyman returned to the mike to accept the Best Talk Show Emmy for “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” and the crowd again chanted Colbert’s name.
The comic, whose show comes to an end in May 2026, brought his resume and head shot to the star-studded event. Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock“I want to thank CBS for giving us the privilege to be part of the ‘Late Night’ tradition, which I hope continues long after we’re no longer doing this show,” he said in his speech.
“Ten years later in September of 2025, my friends, I have never loved my country more desperately. God bless America. Stay strong. Be brave. And if the elevator tries to bring you down, go crazy and punch a higher floor!”
It was revealed in July that CBS had decided to cancel Colbert’s show after 10 years of being on the air. CBS via Getty ImagesCBS decided in July to cancel Colbert’s show after 10 years of being on the air.
The network has publicly cited financial reasons behind the decision to ax the show.
