As we still sit in shock over the news that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was canceled, there have been moments of celebration and solidarity that make this sad situation a whole lot happier. Arguably, the biggest one came over the weekend as the Emmys aired on the 2025 TV schedule, and Colbert took home the award for Outstanding Talk Series. Then, we got another lovely instance, as he recounted a solid favor his fellow nominee, Jimmy Kimmel, did for him ahead of the award show.
During his first show back after winning his first Emmy, Colbert used his monologue to thank a bunch of folks who work with him and support his program. This included his fellow nominees, Jimmy Kimmel and Jon Stewart, both of whom – along with other late night personalities – loudly voiced their support for Colbert when his show was canceled.
However, Kimmel took it a step further by literally putting up a billboard that stated that he’d be voting for Colbert at the Emmys. So, during the Late Show host’s monologue, he mentioned that gesture, saying:
I want to toss a bouquet of admiration to the other nominees in our category, my dear friends, Jon Stewart and Jimmy Kimmel. These two fellas, old friends, unbelievably talented, so lovely, just two princes. Kimmel even put up a for your consideration billboard, and this is real, that said ‘I’m voting for Stephen.’ That is so nice. That is lovely.
It really was “lovely.” It was also a bold statement, as it made it clear who Jimmy Kimmel, one of the three nominees in the Outstanding Talk Series category, was voting for. While I can’t tell you if it helped Colbert win the award, I certainly believe it’s a nice addition to this story.
This all came after the host had received 33 nominations before taking home his first win this year at the 77th Emmy Awards, and a few months after it was announced that his show was ending. His win was celebrated by seemingly everyone in the audience at the awards, as well as people like Kimmel and John Oliver, both of whom have been loud supporters of The Late Show host.
Now, Colbert's already thinking about how he’ll repay Kimmel, too, as he joked:
You know what? Fair is fair, to pay him back, next year, I’m going to do the exact same thing.
Then, he cut to a photoshopped image of the same billboard that still said “I’m voting for Stephen,” but featured a photo of Colbert and his show’s logo on it instead of Kimmel’s. Honestly, it’s hilarious, partly because, even though he’ll be off the air by this time the Emmys air next year, his show can still be nominated, since it will be on and airing new episodes until May 2026.
So, he could very well be up against Kimmel again.
Plus, it’s simply a solid joke and a little lighthearted barb toward his pal and technical competition, Jimmy Kimmel.
However, while this is a hilarious gag, I would also totally believe that Colbert will find ways to support Kimmel in the same kind of ways. It’s clear that the late night hosts all get along quite well, and they clearly want the best for each other. So, who knows, maybe someday Stephen Colbert really will pay it back and put up a billboard for Jimmy Kimmel.
Now, if you'd like to support these guys and their shows, you can catch Jimmy Kimmel Live! weekdays on ABC at 11:35 p.m. ET or stream it with a Hulu subscription, and you can watch The Late Show with Stephen Colbert weekdays on CBS at 11:35 p.m. ET or stream it with a Paramount+ subscription.
