Stephen Colbert, a winner at Emmys 2025 on Sept. 14, addressed the end of The Late Show in May 2026 and revealed why future plans are not on his mind.

Stephen Colbert receives standing ovation for Emmys 2025 Win after talk show cancellation

Stephen Colbert is celebrating the right now.

And that’s why his plans for what’s next—after the end of his late-night talk show in May 2026—are on the back burner.

“I know it’s coming to the end in May,” Stephen, 61, told reporters inside the 2025 Emmys after taking home his first award for Outstanding Talk Series during the ceremony Sept. 14. “But I’m going to savor every day. I want to land this plane absolutely beautifully and I’ve got nothing else on my mind.”

“I love what we do, and I want to go to work on Tuesday and for the next nine months with these people and work hard to have fun,” he continued. “We do the show with each other. We do the show for each other, every day. And I have the privilege and responsibility that day to share with the audience what we did. And I love it.”

Stephen’s banner evening came two months after CBS announced the cancellation of The Late Show after a decade with him at the helm—amid what the network said was a financial decision. Despite the lights dimming on his show, the audience inside the Peacock Theater proved that Stephen’s light is brighter than ever as he was greeted by multiple standing ovations from the star-studded audience throughout the broadcast.

Stephen Colbert, Emmys 2025 after parties, Apple TV+ Emmy Awards CelebrationEric Charbonneau/Apple TV+ via Getty Images

“It was really nice,” Stephen said of the gesture. “I’ll tell you this. I came out here a lot when I was a young man looking for work. Winning one of these and having the audience stand up is way better than coming off the pilot season. I was very grateful, and I hope I know that it wasn’t just for me, it was for all these people who do the work every day who really make it possible. So, it was really gratifying. I’m incredibly grateful.”

And while Stephen was amazed by the applause, his wife of 32 years Evelyn “Evie” McGee-Colbert knew it was a long time coming.

“The way he’s such a great leader, the kindness with which he runs his show,” Evie said of what she admires about her husband to Zuri Hall on the red carpet on Live From E!: 2025 Emmys. “They are 200 friends, and they love each other so much. I don’t think anybody has a sense of what it’s like to work there unless you’re backstage and hey work for each other in such a beautiful way.”