7 days ago
Emmys upheaval: ‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert' now predicted to win Best Variety Talk Series
Less than a month after CBS shockingly canceled The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, the Emmy race for Best Variety Talk Series has been completely upended.
Based on initial Gold Derby predictions following the nominations in July, The Daily Show was favored to win its 12th Emmy in the category, extending its record. But in the weeks following The Late Show's cancellation (and shortly after the third nominee, Jimmy Kimmel of Jimmy Kimmel Live, publicly announced he was "voting for Stephen"), there's a new frontrunner in the race for Best Variety Talk Series.
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Drumroll, please!
Variety Talk Series
Contender
Odds
1.
Late Show with Stephen Colbert
65.5%
2.
The Daily Show
30.9%
3.
Jimmy Kimmel Live
3.6%
According to the Gold Derby tracking data, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert now has a 65 percent chance of winning the Emmy, compared to a 31 percent chance for The Daily Show, and a 4 percent chance for Jimmy Kimmel Live. That's a stark difference from the last time we checked in on this race, on July 29, when The Late Show had a 26 percent chance of eking out a victory.
The Late Show has been nominated in the Best Variety Talk Series category nine times without ever winning. In fact, since Colbert took the reins, the show has never won an Emmy, despite 33 nominations across its decade-long run. That's the second most Primetime Emmy nominations without a win for a series after Better Call Saul, which famously went 0-for-53.
Kimmel immediately threw his support behind Colbert. Shortly after news of the cancellation broke on July 17, with Paramount saying it was shuttering Colbert's show due to "purely financial" reasons, the Jimmy Kimmel Live host proclaimed on social media, "Love you, Stephen. F--k you and all your Sheldons, CBS." And then last week Kimmel erected his "I'm voting for Stephen" billboard in West Hollywood.
The Daily Show is the reigning champion in this category, and currently rotates hosts among Jon Stewart, Ronny Chieng, Jordan Klepper, Michael Kosta, and Desi Lydic. As a producer of both The Daily Show and The Late Show, Stewart would take home an Emmy if either of those two programs wins Best Variety Talk Series. He has not yet announced his preference via an FYC billboard.
In addition to his nightly show, Colbert will also guest star on the CBS crime dramedy Elsbeth, playing — what else? — a fictional late-night talk show host. Filming reportedly took place in New York City in early August, suggesting the role was planned before CBS announced The Late Show With Stephen Colbert will end next spring. Elsbeth stars Carrie Preston as a quirky investigator who works with the police to solve murders.
The 2025 Primetime Emmys will be handed out Sept. 14 during CBS' ceremony hosted by comedian Nate Bargatze. Colbert previously hosted the Emmys in 2017.
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