At the 2025 Emmys, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert won Outstanding Talk Series for the first time just two months after CBS announced it was being canceled (financial reasons cited). The moment was emotional: Colbert received a standing ovation, paid tribute to his 200-person team and late assistant Amy Cole, and reflected on the show’s evolution combining comedy, love, and loss. He thanked CBS for letting the show be part of the late-night tradition, expressed love for his family, and closed with a call to stay brave, saying, “if the elevator tries to bring you down, go crazy and punch a higher floor.”