Late-night hosts Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel score Emmy nominations

Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel, whose late-night shows were repeatedly attacked by President Trump and conservative politicians, have scored top Emmy nominations in the variety series category.

CBS’ “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” which ended its 11-year run in May, and ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” will face off Sept. 14 at the Primetime Emmy Awards. Also nominated in the category was HBO’s “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” and NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.” This year, the Television Academy chose to merge the talk series and scripted variety series into one category, and while it widened the entries, ultimately all the shows are previous nominees.

The battle between Trump and the two hosts sparked constant headlines for months as the comedians took sharp comedic swipes at the president and his administration in their nightly monologues. Trump repeatedly called for the cancellation of the shows, saying Colbert and Kimmel were untalented and low-rated.

When CBS chose to cancel “The Late Show” in 2025, Trump took credit on social media posts; the network attributed the cancellation to financial difficulties. The series won the Emmy for talk series in 2025, while “Last Week Tonight” took the trophy for scripted variety series.

Kimmel has continued to bash Trump almost nightly on his series. ABC yanked the show from the airwaves for five days in September after Trump and other conservatives were angered by Kimmel’s remarks following the shooting death of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. However, Disney, the parent company of ABC, revoked the suspension and the show has remained on air since. Kimmel’s contract was extended at the end of 2025, and he is expected to remain host through the 2026-2027 television season.